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Recommended Kit List

New students to UAL Creative Computing Institute often ask us what we recommend you have available before you start your new course with us:

1. Your own computer

Owning your own computer is not a requirement of studying at UAL, however it is certainly a great benefit when it comes to time and flexibility of working for students, and if at all possible we strongly recommend students have their own laptop that they don't have to share with others at home.

If accessing a laptop is financially difficult for you, you may be able to access limited funding through the hardship fund which kicks off after the start of each year.

As a general rule there is no requirement for either a PC or Mac, you should pick what you are most comfortable with using. With the introduction of the new Apple Silicon (M1) Mac's the cost of a decent Mac has come down substancial making the comparison between the two somewhat less obvious, especially with student discounts available from Apple.

If you are specifically looking at a Windows or Linux computer you may get better value from purchasing a desktop computer for home use, then taking advantage of the large number of PCs and MacBook Pro laptops that are available on campus during and between classes.

BSc Creative Computing and Diploma Courses

Students studying on BSc Creative Computing and Diploma courses may prefer to choose a Mac as there is a unit in these courses where access to a Mac is required.

There are 48x MacBook Pro computers available across CCI's sites, and many more at UAL's Libraries across London so it's not necessary but perhaps slightly more advantagous to pick a Mac on these courses.

This information was updated Summer 2021 for the 2021-22 academic year.

Mac

If you are looking to save a bit of money the MacBook Air 13" is similarly specified to the MacBook Pro 13" however it has no active cooling which means in some longer running tasks it can become more of a problem, and the machine has a marginally less powerful GPU.

At time of writing the Apple Back to School deal was available which includes free AirPods and the usual Apple discount for education (note the prices above include the education discount).

PC Laptop

Generally we're pretty big fans of Dell (XPS, G Gaming, or Alienware) and Razer brand computers, however there is a large market and you should pick whats best for you, the following specs give you an idea of what to look for:

  • Intel 10th or 11th Generation processor
  • 16GB or 32GB RAM
  • 256GB or 512GB SSD
  • NVIDIA RTX series GPU
  • Check for USB-C charging and display connection as plug in stations at CCI all use this.
  • QHD or better display

PC Desktop

At CCI we primarily use Dell Precision 36xx series machines and can't really fault them for their value, reliability and performance, elsewhere in UAL we also use Dell Alienware although the warranties tend to be a bit more expensive with these.

  • Intel 10th or 11th Generation processor
  • 16GB or 32GB RAM
  • 512GB SSD
  • NVIDIA RTX series GPU
  • 27" 4K or 24" QHD monitor

2. A Reliable Internet Connection

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3. Headphones and a Microphone

4. Webcam

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