When coming to campus, we want you to have reliable access to all University services.

Suggested Specifications for Purchasing New Computers

• Operating System: Windows 10 or higher or macOS 10.15 Catalina or higher
• Portability: laptops (as opposed to desktop computers) strongly recommended
• Memory: minimum of 8GB RAM (16GB strongly recommended). 
• Processor Speed: minimum of Intel Core i5 or equivalent
• Hard Drive/SSD: 256 GB or larger
• Wireless: any card that supports 802.11 n/ac protocols and WPA2 Enterprise
• Webcam/Microphone: laptops with built-in webcams/microphones recommended (may use a USB headset or external webcam if supported)

Minimum Technology Requirements for Some Departments

• College of Business
• College of Engineering
• College of Medicine - see ICON course Pre-M1 Communications
• College of Pharmacy
• Don't see your department above? Please feel free to contact your department directly for guidance.

Optional/Recommended Peripherals

• External Webcam/Microphone - An external webcam or microphone can be used to improve your sound and picture quality during video communications.
• Extra Power Adapter - An extra power adapter for your laptop can be helpful if you're on the move or if the original adapter fails.
• Backup Service - We recommend regularly backing up your data so your important files will remain intact in case of hard drive failure in the computer. OneDrive or another cloud-based backup service can be used to back up some or all of your data to the cloud. An external USB hard drive can also be useful for data backups and transferring files between computers. The backup process is different for Apple and Windows systems.

Things to Consider When Purchasing a New Computer

• Price range - Computer prices have dropped dramatically in the past several years, but prices still range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the specifications and capabilities of the computer. Deciding how much you want to spend will impact the type of computer you can purchase.
• Your major - Some programs/courses of study will give you the option of downloading software onto your computer for classwork, and these programs may be resource-intensive. Typically, the science programs (engineering, math, GIS, computer science, etc.) require more powerful computers. If you plan on pursuing one of these majors, it may be beneficial to have a computer with better specifications. We recommend contacting the department for special requirements or recommendations.
• Apple or Windows - Either an Apple or Windows computer is fine for most programs at the university. However, there are a few colleges that may recommend one operating system over the other based on the software used in those areas of study. Contact the college or department for more information.
• Chromebooks - While ITS does not recommend that they be used as a student's only device, Chromebook laptops work well as an additional tool for school-related use. 

Information Technology Services requires all computers using the university's network to have recent updates installed for your operating system. The best way to do this is to turn on automatic software updates. For more information see our articles on updating your Windows or Mac operating systems.