CCA requires that students own an external storage device and laptop that meets our minimum system requirements. This requirement will help ensure that all students have access to the college’s digital resources at home or on campus.

• Undergraduate students are required to own a laptop that meets the minimum system requirements for software used in their intended major/program, listed below. For general and undeclared students or if your major/program is not listed the General / Undeclared CCA Laptop minimum specifications will be appropriate.
• Graduate students are required to own a laptop that meets the minimum system requirements for software used in their program, listed below. If your program is not listed the General / Undeclared CCA Laptop minimum specifications will be appropriate.

• Animation
• Architecture (BArch, MArch, MAAD)
• Comics (MFA)
• Design (MFA)
• Design Strategy (MBA)
• Film (BFA, MFA)
• First-Year
• Game Arts
• Graphic Design
• Illustration
• Industrial Design
• Interaction Design
• Interaction Design (MDes)
• Interior Design

Required system specifications (2024)

• Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro - M3 Standard chip with 8-core CPU
  10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
  MINIMUM 16GB unified memory
  MINIMUM 512GB SSD storage
  Liquid Retina XDR display
  Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port
  Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

External storage device: CCA students are required to own an external storage device for saving coursework and backups of digital work. When working with high-resolution image files, motion graphics, and video files, a great deal of data storage space is needed.

• Connects via USB, 1 TB minimum storage space
  Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

System specifications for Animation and students working extensively with digital image creation

RECOMMENDED system specifications (2025)

• 14-inch MacBook Pro
• Apple M4 chip with 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
• 24GB or 32GB unified memory
• 2TB SSD storage
• Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port

Example / Purchasing link: Macbook Pro 14 inch 24GB Memory

Curriculum is designed for Macs, but if you prefer to use a PC we recommend the following specifications:

• Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 Processor 275HX (36MB cache, 24 cores, 2.1 to 5.4 GHz P-Core)
• Windows 11 Home
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060, 8 GB GDDR7
• 32GB, 2x16GB, DDR5, 5600 MT/s RAM
• 2TB, M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Storage

Example / Purchasing link Alienware 16X Aurora Gaming Laptop

Peripherals

• Any 3-button mouse, wired or wireless
• Digital drawing tablet. There are Wacom Cintiqs in most computer labs, but if you want to use your own with your laptop, we recommend you purchase one of a range of acceptable tablets, including: Huion Kamvas 22, Huion Kamvas 13, Wacom One). Use this link to receive student discounts on Wacom tablets and products.

External Storage Device: All students in the BFA Animation program classes are required to own one or more external storage drives with the following minimum specifications:

• 2 TB or larger capacity
  7200 RPM or Solid-state Drive (SSD)
  USB 3.0 with USB-C adapter, or straight USB-C connection
  Examples / purchasing links: SanDisk 2TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD V2 or SanDisk Professional 5TB G-DRIVE ArmorATD USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 External Hard Drive

System specifications for Game Arts students and students working extensively with digital image creation.

Most Game Arts software is compatible with Mac or Windows, but most classes are taught in Windows labs.

RECOMMENDED system specifications (2025)

• Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 Processor 275HX (36MB cache, 24 cores, 2.1 to 5.4 GHz P-Core)
• Windows 11 Home
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5060, 8 GB GDDR7
• 32GB, 2x16GB, DDR5, 5600 MT/s RAM
• 2TB, M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Storage

Example / Purchasing link Alienware 16X Aurora Gaming Laptop

Peripherals

• Any 3-button mouse, wired or wireless

External Storage Device: All students in the BFA Game Arts program classes are required to own one or more external storage drives with the following minimum specifications:

• 2 TB or larger capacity
  7200 RPM or Solid-state Drive (SSD)
  USB 3.0 with USB-C adapter, or straight USB-C connection
  Examples / purchasing links: SanDisk 2TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD V2 or SanDisk Professional 5TB G-DRIVE ArmorATD USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 External Hard Drive

Architecture (BArch, MArch, MAAD) and Interior Design recommend a Windows laptop, as some required software in the Architecture and Interior Design curriculums are only available for Windows (e.g. AutoCAD and Rhino). Virtualization software such as Parallels or VMWare are NOT recommended. As some classes require the use of computers in-class, DO NOT purchase a desktop computer.

MINIMUM system specifications (2024)

• 15 or 16 inch screen, matte/non-glare screen surface recommended
  OS: Windows 11 64-bit
  CPU: Minimum Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen 7, minimum 8 cores and 16 threads.
  GPU: Graphics card with at least 4GB of memory (NVIDIA preferred)
  RAM: 32GB RAM (64GB Preferred)
  1 TB or larger Solid-state drive (SSD)

Software: The Architecture and Interior Design programs use a core group of software: Autodesk (AutoCAD, 3DS Max, Revit), Rhino (CAM, Vray), Adobe Creative Cloud, ArcGIS, Lumion, and Enscape 3D. Much of this software is free or heavily discounted for CCA students. Learn more at: Creative Software.

External Storage Device
Connects via USB
1 TB (Terabyte) minimum storage space

The MFA in Comics program requires a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or a mobile computing device that can run the following digital platforms: Adobe Photoshop, Moodle, Mural, and Zoom.

• In addition, students must be able to produce high quality digital reproductions of their comics work via flatbed scanners or digital cameras for sharing across platforms.
• CCA students are eligible for educational pricing plus discounts on AppleCare and some MacBook Pro models at the CCA / Apple Online Store

External Storage Device
Connects via USB
1 TB (Terabyte) minimum storage space

The following minimum requirement is for Design (MFA) and Illustration students:

MINIMUM system specifications (2024):

• Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro - M3 Pro chip with 12-core CPU
  18‑core GPU and 16‑core Neural Engine
  MINIMUM 18GB unified memory
  MINIMUM 512GB SSD storage
  Liquid Retina XDR display
  Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port
  Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

External Storage Device
Connects via USB, 1 TB (Terabyte) minimum storage space
Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

The MBA in Design Strategy Program requires a laptop such as a MacBook Air or a mobile computing device such as a tablet. Students can opt to use an iPad or similar tablet while attending residencies if they have access to another computer at home or work. We have partnered with Apple to offer laptops and peripherals that meet our technology requirements. CCA students are eligible for educational pricing plus discounts on AppleCare and some MacBook Pro models at the CCA / Apple Online Store.

External Storage Device
Connects via USB
1 TB (Terabyte) minimum storage space

The following minimum requirement is for BFA and MFA Film students, and students working extensively with digital video and audio.

MINIMUM system specifications (2025):

• Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro - M4 chip with 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
• 14-inch display
• 24GB unified memory
• 1TB SSD storage
• Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port

Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

RECOMMENDED system specifications (2025):

• Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro - M4 Pro chip with 14-core CPU, 30-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
• 16-inch display
• 48GB unified memory
• 1TB SSD storage
• Three Thunderbolt 5 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port

Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

Media Storage and External Drive Requirements

External USB 3.1 or thunderbolt SSD, minimum 2TB, and an additional external drive (SSD or 7200 RPM) of the same size for backup. System Backup Drive matching internal drive size.

Equivalent Windows Systems While PC / Windows OS Systems may be used, the Film Program recommends Apple machines for purposes of instruction compatibility and interoperability with other CCA equipment. You should expect to be fully self-supporting if you choose to work with a Windows system: instruction is always done using Mac systems. A Windows laptop substituting for the required Apple laptops must have equivalent performance in all areas to the Apple specifications given above. Windows machines must be capable of running Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Audition, DaVinci Resolve, and ProTools. External drive requirements are the same as those given above.

First Year students who have an intended major should get the laptop associated with the needs of that major. First-Year students who haven't identified a major are required to own a laptop that meets the minimum system requirements for software commonly used across the curriculum:

Required system specifications (2024)

• Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro - M3 Standard chip with 8-core CPU
  10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
  MINIMUM 16GB unified memory
  MINIMUM 512GB SSD storage
  Liquid Retina XDR display
  Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port
  Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

External storage device: CCA students are required to own an external storage device for saving coursework and backups of digital work. When working with high-resolution image files, motion graphics, and video files, a great deal of data storage space is needed.

• Connects via USB, 1 TB minimum storage space
  Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

Software: CCA Adobe Creative Cloud accounts are available to students, learn more: here. Other required software will be provided to students as needed for class, see: Creative Software.

The following minimum requirement is for Graphic Design students:

MINIMUM system specifications (2024):

• Apple MacBook Pro with M1 chip or higher
  MINIMUM 16GB unified memory
  MINIMUM 512GB SSD storage
  MINIMUM 14-inch display (higher than 1920 x 1080 resolution)
  Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

External Storage Device
Connects via USB, 1 TB (Terabyte) minimum storage space
Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

Industrial Design recommends majors purchase a Windows PC laptop as some curriculum-required software (e.g. SolidWorks) are built to run on Windows. As some classes require the use of computers in-class, do NOT purchase a desktop computer.

No Mac Recommended:
All the newly released MacBook Pros, outfitted with the new Apple Silicon M chip will only run macOS natively. Additionally, virtualization software such as Bootcamp will NOT work on the M chip as it requires the Intel processor.

MINIMUM system specifications (2024):

• CPU: recent i7, i9, or Ryzen R7
  RAM: minimum 16GB, 32GB preferred but not required
  Hard Drive: 1TB Solid State Drive (SSD)
  GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060, 3080, 4060, or 4080 with a minimum of 8 GB of VRAM
  Examples / Purchasing links: Dell XPS 15, Lenovo Legion, Asus Vivobook Pro, MSI Creator Z16

External Storage Device

• 1 TB or larger capacity
  7200 RPM or Solid-state Drive (SSD)
  Connects via USB

The following minimum recommendation is for Interaction Design undergraduate students:

MINIMUM system specifications (2024)

• Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro - M3 Pro chip with 11-core CPU
  14-core GPU, 18-core Neural Engine
  18GB unified memory (36 GB Recommended)
  512GB SSD storage
  14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
  Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, headphone jack, MagSafe 3 port
  Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

External Storage Device: All CCA students are required to own an external storage device for saving coursework and backups of digital work. When working with high-resolution image files, motion graphics, and video files, a great deal of data storage space is needed.

• Connects via USB, 1 TB minimum storage space
  Purchase here: CCA / Apple Online Store

The MDes program is hardware and software agnostic. Students can opt to use a portable laptop, tablet, or desktop. Most assignments can be completed with access to a modern web browser capable of running applications such as Figma, Adobe XD, Miro, Mural, Google Slides, or Slido. Some prototyping software (such as Unreal Engine) will require 16gb RAM. Although it dominates the creative industry, Apple products are not a requirement; that said, we have partnered with Apple to offer hardware and peripherals with student discounts, available at the CCA / Apple Online Store.

We have partnered with Apple to offer laptops and peripherals that meet our technology requirements. CCA faculty, staff, and students are eligible for educational pricing plus discounts on AppleCare and some MacBook Pro models at the CCA / Apple online store. By purchasing through our online store you will help contribute to the support of student technology at CCA. To use the discount in person, visit an Apple Store with your current CCA ID.

CCA strongly recommends the purchasing of appropriate warranty and support plans AppleCare for Mac for all computer purchases.

We strongly recommend that you purchase insurance to protect against loss, theft or damage. Therefore, we urge all families to contact their insurance agent and check their homeowners or renters insurance policy to see if it provides such coverage; and to consider obtaining personal property coverage if it does not. For more information, please visit www.collegestudentinsurance.com.

Please note that CCA is not affiliated with or endorse individual insurance vendors or their products.

Our Help Desk and User Support Specialists are available to help you with troubleshooting assistance and limited support for student-owned laptops. Please call or submit a ticket online to make an appointment with User Support:

Phone: 415-703-9560 (Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm)
Email: helpdesk@cca.edu
Online: Submit Help Desk Ticket

For hardware issues, contact the Apple Store. User Support is happy to help refer you if you are unsure what kind of support you need.