FAQs - Computer Hardware Recommendations

1. I am a new student. Do I need to own a computer?
While it is nice to have a personal computer, it is not a necessity. There are many computer labs available on campus for students to use. Many students also have personal computers but it is certainly not a requirement.
 
2. I am a new student and am purchasing a new computer to bring with me. Are there any requirement for what I need to buy?

There are no specific requirements; you could purchase a notebook or desktop system with an Apple or Microsoft operating system. All new computer systems will be adequate to do most of the student's research, homework and papers. Desktop models still far outnumber notebooks, but notebooks seem to be more versatile.

Below please find a suggestion as to what you may want to purchase:

 

Desktop

Laptop

Game/Media Desktop

Mac

CPU

Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86Ghz, AMD Athlon 3600+

Intel Core 2 Duo 1.66Ghz, Pentium M or Centrino

Intel Core 2 Duo 2Ghz+

G5 or Intel for mac

RAM

2 GB

2GB

4GB

2GB

Hard Drive

160GB

80GB

200GB

160GB

CD/DVD

CD-RW/DVD or DVD-RW

CD-RW/DVD or DVD-RW

DVD-RW

DVD-RW

Video Memory

256MB

256MB

512MB

256

Display

19” LCD Flat Panel

19” LCD Flat Panel

22”+

20”

Network

10/100/1000

Modem

Not needed on campus

Not needed on campus

Not needed on campus

Not needed on campus

OS

Windows XP/Windows Vista

Windows XP/Windows Vista

Windows XP/Windows Vista

OS X Leopard

Software

Office 2007

Office 2007

Office 2007

Office 2004 for Mac

Anti-virus

Symantec

Symantec

Symantec

Symantec

Anti-spyware

Windows Defender

Windows Defender

Windows Defender

 

If you will be living in a campus residence hall, you need to consider the equipment that you will need if you wish to connect to the network - http://cca.georgiasouthern.edu/