Recommended PC Hardware
NUIT establishes minimum hardware guidelines to assist purchasing a computer for use at Northwestern. Check with your individual school for additional requirements.
Note: If you use specialized administrative software such as TMIS, consult with your system administrator before choosing a Windows operating system. Windows XP Professional is recommended if you do not use any specialized administrative software.
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NUIT offers software at a significant discount or free for download. Please check the software Web pages 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 | Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.0 GHz with 2MB L2 Cache or equivalent |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM |
| Hard drive | At least 80 GB SATA hard disk |
| CD/DVD drive | CD-RW/DVD combo drive |
| Ethernet | 10/100 Mbps Ethernet |
| Monitor | 17" LCD display, with EnergyStar rating |
| Video card/VRAM | 128 MB video RAM Windows Vista requires 128 MB graphics memory and DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver |
| Ports | At least 2 USB 2.0 ports |
| Operating system |
Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 |
| Warranty | 3 year onsite next business day warranty |
Desktop — power user
Expect to use several applications at a time, such as e-mail, Web browsing, word processing, Virtual PC, HRIS, SES, or resource-intensive programs such as graphic design.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.4 GHz with 4MB L2 Cache or equivalent |
| Memory | At least 2 GB RAM |
| Hard drive | At least 120 GB SATA hard disk (10,000 RPM) |
| CD/DVD drive | DVD +/- RW (recordable) |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
| Monitor | 19" LCD display, with EnergyStar rating |
| Video card/VRAM | 256 MB video RAM Windows Vista requires 128 MB graphics memory and DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver |
| Ports | At least 4 USB 2.0 ports |
| Operating system | Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista Business edition |
| Warranty | 3 year onsite next business day warranty |
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 | Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.0 GHz or equivalent |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM |
| Hard drive | At least 60 GB SATA hard disk (5400 RPM) |
| CD/DVD drive | CD-RW/DVD combo drive |
| Ethernet | 10/100 Mbps Ethernet |
| Wireless | 802.11 b/g/n wireless (WPA2 compatible) |
| Video card/VRAM | 128 MB video RAM Windows Vista requires 128 MB graphics memory and DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver |
| Ports | At least 2 USB 2.0 ports |
| Integrated fingerprint reader | Wherever available |
| Operating system | Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista Business edition |
| Warranty | 3 year onsite next business day and complete damage recovery warranty |
Laptop — power user
Expect to use several applications at a time, such as e-mail, Web browsing, word processing, Virtual PC, HRIS, SES, or resource-intensive programs such as graphic design.
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.2 GHz or equivalent |
| Memory | At least 2 GB RAM |
| Hard drive | At least 80 GB SATA hard disk (7200 RPM) |
| CD/DVD drive | DVD +/- RW (recordable) |
| Ethernet | 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet |
| Wireless | 802.11 b/g/n wireless (WPA2 Compatible) |
| Video card/VRAM | 256 MB video RAM Windows Vista requires 128 MB graphics memory and DirectX9 graphics with a WDDM driver |
| Ports | At least 2 USB 2.0 ports |
| Integrated fingerprint reader | Wherever available |
| Operating system | Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista Business edition |
| Warranty | 3 year onsite next business day and complete damage recovery warranty |
NUIT Support Center
Central helpdesk for faculty, staff, and students.
847-491-HELP (4357)
consultant@northwestern.edu
Last Updated: 04 June 2008
