Northwestern Information Technology (IT) establishes minimum hardware guidelines to assist in purchasing a computer for use at Northwestern. Check with your individual school for additional requirements.
Laptop — 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 |
| Model |
13" MacBook Air |
| Processor |
Intel® Core™ i5 or Apple M1 Processor |
| Memory |
8GB |
| Storage |
256GB PCI-e based flash storage |
| Graphics |
Integrated graphics |
| Network |
802.1ac (or higher), Bluetooth 4.0, USB Ethernet (sold separately) |
| Operating system |
macOS X 10.15 Catalina (or higher) |
| Warranty |
AppleCare Protection Plan |
Laptop — 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 |
| Model |
16" MacBook Pro |
| Processor |
Intel® Core™ i7 or Apple M1 Max Processor |
| Memory |
16GB |
| Storage |
512GB PCI-e based flash storage |
| Graphics |
Integrated graphics |
| Network |
802.1ac (or higher), Bluetooth 4.0, USB Ethernet (sold separately) |
| Operating system |
macOS X 10.15 Catalina (or higher) |
| Warranty |
AppleCare Protection Plan |