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.
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 |
| Model |
Mac Mini |
| Processor |
Apple M1 Processor |
| Memory |
8GB |
| Storage |
256GB Solid state disk (SSD) |
| Graphics |
Integrated graphics |
| Network |
Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) , Bluetooth 5.2 or higher |
| Operating system |
macOS 13 Ventura (or higher) |
| 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 |
| Model |
iMac with Retina 5K |
| Processor |
Apple M4 Max processor |
| Memory |
16GB |
| Storage |
1TB Solid state disk (SSD) |
| Graphics |
AMD Radeon R9 M290x with 4GB of GDDR5 memory |
| Network |
Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth 5.2 or higher |
| Operating system |
macOS 13 Ventura (or higher) |
| Warranty |
AppleCare Protection Plan |