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Recommended Technology

Selecting the right computer doesn't have to be cumbersome. Here is some valuable minimum requirements information. Be sure to check your professor's syllabus for specific configuration needs.

The School of Business, the College of Nursing, and the College of Arts & Sciences recommend the Minimum Configuration.

Students taking Computer Science and Information Technology classes must have the Recommended Configuration, but we strongly advise you have the Premiere Configuration.

Depending on the student's major and course selection, all other colleges and schools may recommend the Minimum or Recommended Configuration.

 

Component

Minimum

Recommended

Premiere

The processor is the brain of your computer. It does the majority of the work.
Intel i5 +
AMD Ryzen 5+
Apple M1*
Intel i7 +
AMD Ryzen 7 +
Apple M1*
Intel i9 +
AMD Ryzen 9 +
 

Memory is the space your computer uses while actually working on information. The more memory you have, the more information your computer can use at a given moment.
8GB
16GB
32GB or more
 

Disk storage is how much information your computer can hold, not necessarily how much it can use. 256GB is adequate to store most of the applications your will use and the OS. Large video libraries, very large photo libraries, and large audio libraries may require more space.
256GB
512GB SSD
512GB SSD or
1TB SSD
 

The Operating System or OS, is the software that you use to interact or operate your computer. The most common OSes that you will see are Windows and macOS. Chrome is also gaining some popularity, but has some limitations that may be significant if your work.
macOS 10.12 +
Windows 10 +
 
 
 

The GPU or graphics processing unit is a special processor that is dedicated to handling the visual workload of your computer. Having a dedicated GPU can improve performance of some applications significantly and generally improved the performance of the entire system by freeing resources for other task.
 
Nvidia GTX Family
AMD Radeon Family
Nvidia RTX / Quadro (8GB+)
AMD Radeon (8GB+)
 

Built in camera are very common on modern computers, these are very helpful when participating in virtual events and/or teleworking.
     Built In
HD or Better
Built in is very convenient
 
 

Most laptops have built in microphones. In crowded environments built in microphones can present issues by hearing to much.
     Built In
BT Headphones or
Earbuds w/mic
 
Networking
 
Minimum
Recommended
Premiere

Wireless networking is common in most locations you may visit. Improvements are always being made to the speeds and stability of wireless systems. 802.11 b/g is ubiquitous in todays world and will be available nearly anywhere wireless is available. Higher speed devices may provide improved performance of networked resource such as cloud services, email, etc, but is not a guarantee of a better experience.
802.11 b/g compatible
802.11 a/b/g/n
802.11 ac
802.11 a/b/g/n
802.11ac
802.11ax
 
Ports
 
Minimum
Recommended
Premiere

USB-C is a modern interface that is capable of powering your computer, sending video, networking, and audio, as well as used for direct data connections. ie: external drive and flash storage.
 
Recommended
Yes
 

HDMI is used to connect to external video and/or audio systems. HDMI is the most common connection type on monitor, projectors, and large displays. It is used in most HD and 4K systems and under some versions can even send up to 8K video streams
 
Recommended
Convenient
 

Display Port is used to connect to external video and audio systems.
 
 
 
 

VGA (Video Graphics Array) is a mostly obsolete method of connecting computers to displays. It was once a dominate method for connecting to displays and projectors but have been nearly completely replaced with more modern, flexible, and better performing alternatives such as HDMI and Display Port.
Mostly Obsolete
 
 
 

Thunderbolt is the brand name for a high speed connector. Various versions exist and use ether a Mini-Display port connector or USB-C connector. In features modern thunderbolt (TB3) is similar to USB-C and nearly always compatible with those peripherals. It can carry, audio, data, video, and power. Thunderbolt is present on modern Apple computers and some higher end Windows computers.
 
 
Recommended
 
Recommended
Accessories
Minimum
Recommended
Premiere

 
Device Specific
 
 
 

 
19” or larger
 
 
 

 
BT Headphones or
Earbuds w/mic
 
 
 

 
1TB SSD
 
 
 

 
64GB
 
 
 

 
Mostly Obsolete
 
 
 

 
USB-C to HDMI
USB-C to USB-C
HDMI to HDMI