Alien Technology Takes DeVry to the Head of the Class

PC and console games have come a long way from Snake and Pong. Video games and the platforms used to play them have become a major staple in everyday life. Colleges and universities are taking notice of these trends and many offer game and simulation degree programs.

How do you make sure your computer lab gets an A+?

DeVry University's Game and Simulation Programming degree program draws from its history as a leading technology school to teach video game simulation and programming. The school works with gaming and simulation industry leaders to design its programs. In order to offer these programs, DeVry needed to have industry-standard equipment and software that would enable students to develop their own games and simulations.

University officials realized that students needed the right tools to enhance their classroom instructions but were also cognizant of the fact that most students wouldn't be able to afford to buy the technology themselves. So, DeVry began looking for the right computers to utilize in its game and simulation programming computer labs. DeVry needed computers with state-of-the-art processor speed and graphics capabilities that could interface with high-tech audio and video technology. The computers also would need strong video performance, the computing power to match the needs of game development and, above all, DeVry needed its systems to last.

The Solution: Alien tutelage

Various industry-leading vendors were considered from a corporate account standpoint, but one stood out above the rest. Alienware was chosen for its reputation, familiarity among game industry enthusiasts and reliability. DeVry purchased more than 50 Alienware Aurora 7500 desktop PCs for its campus computer labs.

The Aurora 7500 utilizes the AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 dual-core processor that provides AM2 DDR2 memory technology. The PCs also support the industry's best graphics cards, from the NVIDIA SLI dual-GPU configurations to the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX - perfect to supply the graphics DeVry's students rely on for their designs and simulations. Having up to four terabytes of memory ensures students will never run out of memory, while DDR2 memory will ensure they never sit through another loading screen.

The computers are also equipped with the first-ever physics processing unit, the AEGIA PhysX, which adds a level of dynamic motion and interaction by accelerating the scale and quality of real-time physics.

The Solution: Alien tutelage (cont'd.)

“The intent was to provide our students with the environment and technical tools that would allow them to develop their skills in a challenging environment,” Eric Segarra, Dean, Game Simulation and Programming, DeVry University, Crystal City Campus, said. “The Alienware Aurora 7500s are equipped to do just that and really give our students the fastest game development computers available in the PC format.”

The Results: Making the honor roll

A number of Aurora 7500s have already been implemented at 11 DeVry campuses with Alienware desktops in Development Studios. However, the university expects to have additional sites operational by December 2007. The computers are already being used for student development projects related to specific courses and for the development of some special projects. In addition to the Game and Simulation Programming program, the Alienware PCs also will be used to develop web-based content and applications.

Specific programs and applications that will run on the computers vary by campus, but many will run the graphics-intensive programs 3D Studio Max 8, Torque Game Engine and XNA SDK. Students at campuses utilizing the new computers have already noticed a difference and DeVry expects to see excellent creative game development as the program progresses.

“The Alienware computers provided the ‘wow factor’ that keeps students active on campus and increases their hands-on time,” Eddie Wachter, Dean of Academic Affairs, DeVry University, Central Florida said. “And we have found that the more hands-on time a student has, the better the learning and preparation for a career in the industry.”

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