Laptop Recommendations

Software / Peripheral Requirements

Software / Hardware	Where to Get it	Notes
Adobe Reader or other PDF Software	http://get.adobe.com/reader (Adobe Reader) https://www.foxitsoftware.com/products/pdf-reader/ (Foxit Reader)	Linux Users will need to use Foxit Reader, or another PDF Suite.
Java (Latest) Browser Plugin	http://www.java.com/	Apple Users must run Java software updates manually
Microsoft Office 2019	As a student at ODU, you can download and use the latest version of Microsoft Office for free. Visit odu.edu/office365 for more information.	Linux Users may use an alternative Productivity Suite. (OpenOffice, LibreOffice, etc).
VLC Media Player	http://www.videolan.org/vlc	Used to view almost any type of Video Media Format. Cross Platform (Windows, OS X, Linux)
Web Cam (with microphone)	Retail stores, or online locations such as amazon.com or newegg.com	Only necessary if the laptop does not have a built in Web Cam (with microphone).

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These are the recommended laptop specifications for Computer Science courses. The specifications are guidelines for courses that include programming, research, and word processing in the CS curriculum.

If you are purchasing a new computer, check out our Mobile Monarch student notebook program. We've selected several models that meet these technology specifications.

How Does Your System Stack Up?

A bandwidth of ~20 Mbps is recommended for optimal performance, but is not required.

System Specifications

	Minimum Specs (Typical CS User)	Recommended Specs (Power User)
Hard Drive	512GB of storage. Solid-State-Drive (SSD) is preferred.	1TB of storage. Solid-State-Drive (SSD) is preferred
Operating System	Windows 10 or OS X 10.15+ or Ubuntu 20.04 (or any LTS)*	Windows 11 or OS X 11+ or Ubuntu 20.04 (or any LTS)*
Processor	9th generation or higher Intel Core i7 ,or 3000 series or higher AMD Ryzen 7	9th generation or higher Intel Core i9 ,or 3000 series or higher AMD Ryzen 9
RAM ("Memory")	16GB DDR4 or higher	32GB DDR4 or higher
Wired Internet	Not Required	Not Required
Wireless Internet	Any WiFi Card capable of 802.11ac	Any WiFi Card capable of 802.11ac

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*Ubuntu (or any Linux Distro) is reccomended for ADVANCED users only. Windows programs will not run natively on Linux Operating Systems, so alternatives must be used.

Educational Objectives & Student Outcomes ►

Benefits between Windows & Mac

When choosing an operating system to use for your degree in Computer Science, either macOs or Windows will be a great choice. In most undergraduate courses, professors will demonstrate their lectures on Windows.

Windows

Easier development for programming languages using C#, .NET, and SQL server.
Well document for setting up development environments for numerous programming languages.

Mac

Easier development for iOS and MacOS related applications. Ex: Xcode and Swift.
macOS is a unix base environment. This includes the benefit of allowing development for multiple languages and a UNIX style CLI.

Laptop Recommendations

Software / Peripheral Requirements

How Does Your System Stack Up?

System Specifications

Computer Science

Computer Science

Benefits between Windows & Mac

Windows

Mac

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