The content of the article:
Technical requirements for hardware for all courses
Desktop (Personal computer) / Laptop (Notebook):
– Central Processing Unit - CPU with x64 architecture no older than 5 years and with at least 4 threads.
Recommended: all processors released no early than 2018 and with at least 4 cores
Intel Core series – i5, i7, i9 – not older than the 8th generation, with a frequency of at least 2.8 GHz;
AMD FX series processor - at least FX-8350, all models of the Ryzen series, models of the A10 and A12 series (9700, 9800), Athlon 200 GE;
Apple M1, M2
Not recommended:
series: Intel Celeron, Pentium*, AMD Athlon, AMD A-series
*Intel Pentium Gold series processors of the new generation, depending on the model, may be better than the old Intel core i5 models. In such cases, a substantive comparison is required. However, please note that nevertheless we do not recommend the use of older models of processors i5 and all Pentium series
– Graphics card with support for DirectX 11/12, Shader Model 2.0 and newer
Recommended: discrete graphics card (a separate chip)
Not recommended: integrated graphics card (built-in graphics card)
– RAM: DDR3 and newer, 4 GB or over
Highly recommended: 8 GB or over if there are courses on game design or Unity
– Keyboard, mouse, sound card, microphone, webcam
? Q/A: Why do we offer a discrete card instead of a built-in one?
Integrated (built-in) graphics card:
1) Low performance compared to discrete graphics cards;
2) It is not suitable for high-performance programs such as: any graphic editors, Roblox Studio, Unity;
3) The lack of personal video memory implies reserving RAM resources for the needs of the GPU, which affects the overall power and speed of the PC;
4) In case of failure of the graphics core, replacement or repair is impossible and you will have to completely change the CPU or even buy a new PC;
5) The validity period of video cards is from 3 to 5 years, and with the performance of integrated video cards, they become obsolete even faster. The video card cannot be replaced separately and the entire motherboard or processor must be replaced.
Please note that the company's technical support does not have the right and does not give recommendations or comments on the selection of specific PC models, processors, video cards, and so on.
Tablets
for the course: Fundamentals of Logic and Programming (Coding Knight)
– Central Processing Unit: 4 cores arm cortex a-53 or more high-performance processor
– RAM: from 2GB
– OS: Android not lower than version 12 or newer
– Wi-Fi: 802.11g or newer
– Diagonal and screen resolution:
from 10 inches,
from 1280x800 to 1920x1080
Please note that Huawei tablets are not recommended for use, because they do not support the Play Market and the software required for the courses will be difficult to download.
Please note that Apple – iPad tablets are not recommended for purchase and use, because they do not support the software necessary for conducting courses.
Additional hardware and equipment for courses
Smartphones
for courses in the direction of Video Blogging
Android not lower than version 12 or newer
or
iOS not lower than version 13 or newer
Other equipment
for courses in the direction of Video Blogging
Ring Lamp with tripod with phone mount
Chromakey
Internet connection requirements
Internet connection speed
– Online classes
Recommended: Higher than 30 Mbps for online learning
Minimum: not lower than 30 Mbps
Mobile internet is not recommended
Please note that these are minimum requirements.
For comfortable conducting lessons is recommended from 30-50 Mbps.
These limitations are primarily due to the fact that up to 50% of losses are observed on an average quality router. It is important to understand that this speed is consumed directly by the platform itself. If other programs that consume traffic are running on the PC in parallel, then this must also be taken into account.
Checking the Internet connection
To check what your Internet connection speed is, you can use any service to diagnose the speed. We recommend checking your internet connection on this web page:
Speedtest
Browser
The only recommended browser for conducting classes on the learning platform is Google Chrome, updated to the latest version at the time of the lesson.
If you encounter difficulties while using the Google Chrome browser, as a last resort, you can also use the following Chromium-based browsers, updated to the latest version:
Opera
Vivaldi
Yandex
It is not recommended to use Internet Explorer, Safari, and other browsers not listed above. The correct operation of the learning platform by using them is not guaranteed.
Download link for the Google Chrome browser
Instructions for installing the Google Chrome browser
OS and software requirements
PC' operating system
Windows:
Recommended:
minimum - Windows 10
supported - 10 and 11 64-bit depth
Not recommended - Windows 7, 8, 8.1. These operating systems are outdated and are not supported by Microsoft developers.
Please note that only Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit versions are supported for the "Unity" course.
– OS version check
To check which operating system you have, go to computer properties.
It can be done:
through any folder by clicking the RMC on “This computer” and selecting “Properties”;
by pressing the Win + Pause key combination.
In the window that opens, you will see information about the system:
mac OS:
Recommended:
minimum - macOS Monterey 12
supported - Monterey 12+, Ventura 13+, Sonoma 14+
Not recommended - versions below macOS Monterey 12. These operating systems are outdated and are not supported by Apple developers.
– OS version check
To check which operating system you have, go to the Apple menu in the upper right corner of your desktop.
It can be done by clicking on "
" > "About This Mac".
This opens an overview of your Mac, including information about the model, processor, memory, serial number, and mac OS version:
Linux:
Recommended:
minimum - Ubuntu 22.04
supported - Ubuntu 22.04 and higher
Not recommended - versions below Ubuntu 22.04
Please note that you cannot use Linux for the "Game Design" course. Only Windows 10 and Windows 11 64-bit versions and mac OS Monterey 12 + are supported.
We do not support running this course on this operating system, because there is no official and stable way to install and use Roblox Studio for this OS has been found.
Also, this OS is not recommended for courses: “Graphic Design" and “Unity".
We do not recommend conducting these courses on this operating system, the stability of the additional software for the courses has not been confirmed.
– OS version check
To check what version you have on a Debian system, go to Linux Terminal.
It can be done by clicking Start -> System -> Terminal and enter the command:
cat /etc/*-release 
Other operating systems
Not recommended
Please note that we strongly do not recommend the use of non-eminent operating systems, such as OS Chromium for Algorithmics' courses.
Additional software and online services for courses
Browser software
for all courses
A browser is required to use the web application of the Learning Platform
The only browser recommended for working on the learning platform is Google Chrome, updated to the latest version at the time of the lesson.
Download link for the Google Chrome browser
Instructions for installing the Google Chrome browser
Instruction on how to update the browser
Fundamentals of Logic and Programming (Coding Knight)
Tablet Software:
Scratch Junior app for Android tablet
Download link for the Scratch Junior app
Please note, it is strongly recommended to conduct the course on tablets, due to the age characteristics of young children and the fact that no official and stable way to install and use programs has not been found.
Only in emergency cases! Instruction How to install Scratch Junior on a PC?
Coding Knight app for Android tablet
Download link for the Coding Knight app
Digital literacy
Online services: the course uses only online tools
For some of the online tools, an adult Google account is required, which parents create for children.
Instructions for creating a Google account
List of required online tools:
Name | Link address | Is registration required? |
|---|---|---|
no | ||
Google Images | no | |
Google Mail | An adult Google account is required | |
Google Drive | ||
Google Docs | ||
Google Sheets | ||
Google Calendar | ||
Google Slides | ||
Google Earth | ||
Google Sites | ||
Google Contacts | ||
Pixilart | no | |
Autodraw | no | |
Wikipedia | no | |
Gallerix | no | |
Removebg | no | |
Animated Gif Maker | no | |
Quick, Draw! | no |
Visual programming
Not required
Video blogging
Online services:
Online service Video Recorder - registration is not required
Online service Powtoon - required a Google account
Online service Canva - required a Google account
Instructions for creating a Google account
PC' software:
OpenShot Video Editor
Windows: download link for OpenShot - version 2.4.2
macOS: download link for OpenShot
Installation instructions for OpenShot
Smartphone' software:
InShot - for Android and iOS OS
Open Camera - for Android OS
ProMovie Recorder - для ОС iOS
Download link for ProMovie Recorder
Game design
Online services:
Google Services: Documents, Presentations, Drive, Youtube - required a Google account
Instructions for creating a Google account
PC' software:
Roblox Studio, including Roblox Player
Installation instructions for Roblox Studio and Roblox Player
Website creation
Online services: the course uses only online tools
Online service GitHub
Online service Tilda - for the course version on the Tilda constructor
Online service Wix - for the course version on the Wix constructor
Graphic design
Online services:
Online service Wick - registration is not required
Online service TinkerCad - registration is required
Instructions for TinkerCad sing-up (/)
PC' software:
GIMP
Installation instructions for GIMP (/)
InkScape
Installation instructions for InkScape (/)
Scribus
Download link for Scribus
Installation instructions for Scribus
Game development on Unity (Unity)
Online services:
Adult Google account for working with the Unity ID that parents create for children
Instructions for creating a Google account
Unity ID account for working with the Unity Hub program and the asset store: Unity Asset Store, which can be attached to a Google account
Microsoft account for working with Visual Studio
Link for creating a Microsoft account
PC' software:
Unity Hub: required to work with Unity
Unity: for Windows и macOS - Unity 2021.3.5f1
Link to download the archive of the Unity program version 2021.3.5f1
Visual Studio: will be installed with Unity
Installation instructions for Unity Hub, Unity и Visual Studio
Python Start & Python Pro
PC' software:
Algo VS Code program: integration with the learning platform and libraries necessary for classes has been added to the Algorithmic program installer
Built-in libraries:
Panda 3D
Flask
Pandas
Sklearn
Kivy
Pillow
Please note that the version of the VS Code program from Algorithmics must be installed on the students' computer. We do not support conducting this course using the original VS Code program, because there is no stable way to install the algopython extension, which allows to integrate the learning platform and the libraries for conducting classes.
– Download links and installation instructions for Algo VS Code for different OS versions: