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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.
*NOTE* In order to comply with Northwestern IT's encryption policy, please turn on TPM (Trusted Platform Module) upon set up of your computer. This module allows the computer to be encrypted with Bitlocker, which is Northwestern IT's encryption solution.
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 |
Intel® Core™ i5 Processor |
| Memory |
8GB |
| Storage |
256GB Solid state disk (SSD) |
| Optical drive |
Optional |
| Network |
Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Graphics |
Integrated graphics |
| Ports |
USB 3.0, HDMI, Additional adapters as needed |
| Battery |
4-cell Li-ion battery |
| Operating system |
Windows 10 or 11 64-bit Professional |
| Warranty |
3-4 year onsite next business day |
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. Some examples of applications that perform better with a power user configuration include MATLAB, AutoCAD, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
| Category |
Description |
| Processor |
Intel® Core™ i7 Processor |
| Memory |
16GB |
| Storage |
512GB Solid state disk (SSD) |
| Optical drive |
Optional |
| Network |
Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Graphics |
2GB or Higher Dedicated Video Card |
| Ports |
USB 3.0, HDMI, Additional adapters as needed |
| Battery |
6-cell Li-ion battery |
| Operating system |
3-4 year onsite next business day |
| Warranty |
3-4 year onsite next business day |