Recommended Macintosh Desktop 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 the computer for basic productivity, running multiple applications such as e-mail, web browsing, word processing, music and video players, and photo organization.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | iMac 20" 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or faster |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM |
| Hard drive | 320GB hard disk |
| CD/DVD drive | SuperDrive |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps (Gigabit) Ethernet |
| Monitor | 20" LCD display |
| Video card/VRAM | NVIDIA GeForce 9400M |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) |
| Warranty | AppleCare Protection Plan |
Desktop — power user
In addition to the tasks above, expect to resource intensive programs for audio/video editing, graphic design, running multiple operating systems, storing large multimedia files and playing games.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | iMac 24” 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo |
| Memory | 4GB RAM |
| Hard drive | 640GB hard disk |
| CD/DVD drive | SuperDrive |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps (Gigabit) Ethernet |
| Monitor | 24" LCD display |
| Video card/VRAM | NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 256MB memory |
| Operating system | Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) |
| Warranty | AppleCare Protection Plan |
NUIT Support Center
Central helpdesk for faculty, staff, and students.
847-491-HELP (4357)
consultant@northwestern.edu
Last Updated: 02 July 2009
