Why are we handing out free laptops at Bucks? Have we lost our senses?

free laptops! Yay!

Why do we offer free laptops to our freshmen students in October? The answer is simple: we want all of our students to be able to work equally as well from home as they do at university. One of the many career paths open to a skilled digital animator is to do freelance work from home, and the best way to do this is to master as many software packages as possible, allowing you you to take on small jobs even while you are still at uni.  So, what kind of computer do our students actually get?

What kind of laptop do we provide?
What we try to do is get the best possible spec within the target price allocated to the course. Obviously we can't spend a fortune - but the machines must be fit for purpose and capable of doing the jobs required of them. That includes running Autodesk Maya, the Adobe Suite, and any other piece of software needed to make digital artwork and films from home.

Plenty of RAM. Photo: Wikipedia

What kind of spec do the laptops have?
We aim for at least an i5 processor, 8Gb RAM, nvideo graphics card (not onboard graphics), a decent screen and we try for a 17" display with reasonable resolution.  We go for a reputable but well-priced Manufacturer such as Acer or Toshiba.

Our students also get free access to Lynda.com

What will the new students get in October?
For this year, we haven't yet placed a purchase order, but we will review the best deals through the University sources in August and find the best specification that we can.

We have hundreds of videos online for learning animation - exclusively for our students

Will it be a good laptop?
Yes. Whatever we end up getting, we're sure you will find it a reliable workhorse that will sustain you in your professional career all the way through university and beyond.


To find out more about how our Animation & VFX course works, read this post. For information on the student loans system, click here.  To read about what we're doing to improve what we do here at Bucks, read this post. For help finding your way around, see this map of campus here. To take a virtual tour of our animation studio, click here, and also check out what our students have said about our course. To see why Bucks is ranked among the top twelve creative universities in the UK, click here.