Recommended Macintosh Hardware
NUIT establishes minimum hardware guidelines to assist purchasing a computer for use at Northwestern. Check with your individual school for additional requirements.
Please note: Intel-based Macintosh computers may not be compatible with all software or University systems.
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NUIT offers many software titles at a significant discount or free for download. Please check the Software for Faculty, Staff, and Students Web page before finalizing your hardware purchases. |
Desktop — minimum
Expect to use one or two applications at a time, such as word processing, spreadsheet, e-mail, and Web browsing programs.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | iMac 20" 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, or faster |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM |
| Hard drive | At least 250 GB hard disk |
| CD/DVD drive | Combo drive |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
| Monitor | 20" LCD display |
| Video card/VRAM | 128 MB video RAM |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) |
| Warranty | AppleCare Protection Plan |
Desktop — power user
Expect to use several applications at a time, such as e-mail, Web browsing, word processing, or resource-intensive programs such as graphic design.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | Mac Pro Two 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon or faster |
| Memory | At least 2 GB RAM |
| Hard drive | At least 250 GB hard disk |
| CD/DVD drive | SuperDrive |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
| Monitor | At least 20" LCD display |
| Video card/VRAM | 256 MB video RAM |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) |
| Warranty | AppleCare Protection Plan |
Laptop — minimum
Expect to use one or two applications at a time, such as word processing, spreadsheet, e-mail, and Web browsing programs.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | MacBook 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo |
| Memory | 1 GB RAM |
| Hard drive | At least 80 GB hard disk |
| CD/DVD drive | Combo drive |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
| Wireless | AirPort Extreme |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or 10.5 (Leopard) |
| Warranty | AppleCare Protection Plan |
Laptop — power user
Expect to use several applications at a time, such as e-mail, Web browsing, word processing, or resource-intensive programs such as graphic design.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | MacBook Pro 2.2 GHz Intel Core Duo |
| Memory | At least 2 GB RAM |
| Hard drive | At least 120 GB hard disk |
| CD/DVD drive | SuperDrive |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
| Wireless | AirPort Extreme |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) |
| Warranty | AppleCare Protection Plan |
NUIT Support Center
Central helpdesk for faculty, staff, and students.
847-491-HELP (4357)
consultant@northwestern.edu
Last Updated: 28 August 2008
