The construction industry today is fuelled by technology, on and off the job site. Accessing and using this technology is crucial to success and a good device is a necessary tool. Your PC device is your connection to the modern construction project, from design and site plans, to layout and design drawings, to project management and scheduling information.

In order to access and use the software and applications taught in the Donald J. Smith School of Building Technology programs, every student needs a reliable and compatible device. You do not have to buy from a specific vendor or manufacturer and Fanshawe College does not endorse or recommend any specific machine or supplier. Students are free to find the best device that meets the published specifications for your program and any individual needs you may have.

Students need to have their device ready for the first day of classes and be familiar with the operation and function of their machine. Software and applications will be available in the first few days of the semester and be in use during classes almost immediately. Students will also take their devices on their Co-op semesters and use them as permitted or required by their employer.

Review our BYOD program table to determine the specifications for your individual program.

For students entering BIM and Integrated Practice, Construction Engineering Technician, Construction Engineering Technology, and for students entering Construction Project Management intending to move onto BIM and Integrated Practice:

Revit 2024 specifications - "Value: Balanced price and performance"

FeatureRequirements
Operating system64-bit Microsoft® Windows® 10 or Windows 11. See Autodesk's Product Support Lifecycle for support information.
CPU type


Intel® i-Series, Xeon®, AMD® Ryzen, Ryzen Threadripper PRO. 2.5 GHz or Higher. Highest GPU recommended.

Autodesk® Revit® software products will use multiple cores for many tasks.
 

Memory32-GB RAM

Usually sufficient for a typical editing session for a single model up to approximately 600 MB on disk. This estimate is based on internal testing and customer reports. Individual models will vary in their use of computer resources and performance characteristics.
Models created in previous versions of Revit software products may require more available memory for the one-time upgrade process.
Video display resolutionsMinimum:
1680 x 1050 with true color

Maximum:
Ultra-High (4k) Definition Monitor
Video adapterDirectX 11 capable graphics card with Shader Model 5 and a minimum of 4GB of video memory.
Disk space30 GB free disk space
Pointing deviceMS-Mouse or 3Dconnexion® compliant device
.NET Framework.NET Framework Version 4.8 or later.
BrowserChrome, Edge, or Firefox
ConnectivityInternet connection for license registration and prerequisite component download

For students entering Construction Project Management NOT intending to move onto BIM and Integrated Practice:

Minimum system requirements for Office 365

FeatureRequirements
Operating systemWindows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 Service Pack 1

Windows 10 Server, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2008 R2
 Browser

Safari, Chrome, and Firefox - current version

Microsoft Edge - latest version

Internet Explorer - current or immediately previous version 

 Email client software

Office/Outlook 2016

Office/Outlook 2013 with SP1

Office/Outlook 2010 with SP2

Computer and processor

1 GHZ or faster x86 or 64-bit processor with SSE2 instruction set

1 GB RAM (32-bit)

Memory2 GB RAM (64-bit) recommended for graphics features, Outlook Instant Search and certain advanced functionality
Disk space3 gigabytes (GB)
Monitor resolution

1024 x 768

Exchange ActiveSync must be supported for Office 365

Mobile devicesBT Business Email Lite (powered by Microsoft Office 365) requires POP to be supported
Using Outlook Web App on smartphones and tabletsFor the best experience use the integrated web browser of these devices, Windows 8 tablet, iOS 6 or later versions for iPhone4s or later versions or iOS 6 or later versions for iPad2 or later versions
Table