We are often asked whether a particular computer is likely to work with the high USB requirements of the Kinect camera. This page documents a couple of systems that are known to work, at different price points.
Entry level: Dell Latitude 7490
This was released in 2018, and can be found at less than USD500 secondhand (as of late 2022)
The CPU will be either i5 or i7, and either 7th-generation or 8-th generation. We have the i5 7th-gen and it's fine.
Make sure it has:
- At least 512GB SSD (Hard disk)
- At least 8GB RAM (16GB is better)
Pro's:
- Inexpensive
- We test with it so Velogic Studio is very likely to work on it
- Has 3 x USB-A ports (for Kinect and webcams) plus 1 x USB-C ports (for some future-proofing)
Con's:
- May not be upgradable to Windows 11 (but we have no plans to discontinue Windows 10 support currently)
- May struggle with future versions of Velogic Studio with multiple 3D cameras.
High end: Dell XPS 15
XPS is Dell's high-end laptop. There are 13", 15" and 17" models; we find the 15" to be about right in terms of size vs performance.
We use a Dell XPS 15 9500 as our high-end test model. This has a 10th generation i5; current models have 12th generation i7 CPUs.
We suggest NOT getting the touchscreen option, because it adds bulk and cost to the laptop.
These are available for around USD2700 (as of late 2022)
Pro's:
- High quality
- High performance
Con's:
- High costs
- Doesn't have USB-A ports, so you need a USB-C to USB-A adaptor (or a docking station) for the Kinect camera
In between: more recent Dell Latitude
If you have more than USD500 budget (for the Dell Latitude 7490) but less than USD2700 (for a new Dell XPS), we recommend getting the highest-spec Dell Latitude that meets your budget.
What to avoid
- Don't get Dell Inspiron; these are entry-level and in our experience they struggle with the Kinect camera
- Obviously don't get anything that doesn't meet our minimum specifications, and remember that some computers might meet the minimum specs but still struggle with the Kinect camera.