{"id":7510,"date":"2020-05-11T15:43:35","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T19:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?page_id=7510"},"modified":"2026-09-02T11:53:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T15:53:55","slug":"laptop-specs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/scs-laptop-requirement\/laptop-specs\/","title":{"rendered":"Laptop Specifications"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n            <div class=\"cu-textmedia flex flex-col lg:flex-row mx-auto gap-6 md:gap-10 my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 max-w-5xl\">\n        <div class=\"justify-start cu-textmedia-content cu-prose-first-last\" style=\"flex: 0 0 100%;\">\n            <header class=\"font-light prose-xl cu-pageheader md:prose-2xl cu-component-updated cu-prose-first-last\">\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] pb-5 after:w-10 text-cu-black-700 not-prose\">\n                        Laptop Specifications\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                                \n                            <\/header>\n\n                    <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The School of Computer Science laptop hardware requirements are as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"summary-requirements\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Summary Requirements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PC or MAC laptops with the following minimum specifications:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>CPU: AMD Ryzen line or Apple M-chip or Intel i5\/i7\/i9\/Xeon<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8 GB or more of RAM<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>256 GB or larger hard drive (SSD or NVMe drive recommended)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>wireless networking (WiFi)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>camera, mic, and audio<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>current Windows, MacOS or Linux operating system<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"not-prose cu-quote cu-component-spacing\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em class=\"myprefix-text-italic\">Computers such as Netbooks, Chromebooks, Smartphones or atom processors&nbsp;are not suitable&nbsp;for the Computer Science program<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"detailed-recommendations\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Detailed Recommendations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The detailed laptop hardware specifications are as follows. This will be particularly useful for anyone looking to purchase a new laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-5xl  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n    \n    <dl class=\"cu-description cu-component-updated\">\n        \n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-operating-system\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Operating System\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-operating-system\">\n            \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The School of Computer Science does not require you to have a specific operating system on your laptop. You have a choice of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Linux,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MAC OS,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and Microsoft Windows<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">as the native operating system on your laptop. You are required to run a current version of the O\/S, keep it patched, up to date and virus free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the details on laptop operating systems refer to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/scs-laptop-requirement\/laptop-operating-system\/\">Laptop Operating Systems<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-cpu\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    CPU\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-cpu\">\n            \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Intel i5\/i7\/i9\/Xeon or AMD Ryzen or M-chip Mac CPUs are ideal for Computer Science laptops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are other CPUs that can be used for the laptop. The defining criteria is that the CPU supports virtualization:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>AMD (AMD-V) processors such as the Ryzen line (x86)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apple M-chip (ARM)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Intel (VT-x) processors such as: i5, i7, i9 or Xeon (x86)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Netbooks, Chromebooks, Smartphones or atom processors do not support virtualization and therefore do not qualify under these requirements.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CPU Notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The CPU must be 64-bit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is no number of core requirement but recommended are 4 or more cores<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is no CPU frequency requirement although 2 GHz or better per core are recommended<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CPUs with hyper-threading support virtualization and are recommended (not a requirement)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>(*) Some Intel i3 processors support virtualization and can be used<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intel.com\/content\/www\/us\/en\/support\/articles\/000005486\/processors.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Intel CPU: Does my processor support virtualization<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apple M-chip\u2019s use the ARM architecture and will not run x86 software like Oracle Virtualbox or VMware Fusion<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Premium CPU: &#8216;AMD Ryzen AI&#8217; supports unified memory<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-memory\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Memory\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-memory\">\n            \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Must have&nbsp; 8GB of RAM or more. If you have the budget we recommend 16 GB of RAM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is no speed requirement for RAM<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>During the memory shortage consider purchasing less expensive DDR4 memory<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-disk-space\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Disk Space\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-disk-space\">\n            \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>Strongly suggest you invest in a Solid State Drive (SSD) hard drive because of the superior performance.<br>Hard drive: 256GB or larger SSD<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong class=\"myprefix-text-bold\">Notes<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or \u201cspinning drives\u201d are better value per GB of disk space but perform slower than SSD drives<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NVMe drives are the current standard (recommended) and are SSD drives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-networking\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Networking\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-networking\">\n            \n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>laptop requires WiFi (AC or AX)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>recommend is a 1G or faster ethernet port or adapter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong class=\"myprefix-text-bold\">Notes<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>T<em>here is a USB 3.0 to ethernet adapter that you can purchase so you do not need an ethernet port on your laptop.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>The big benefit of ethernet is that it is more secure than WiFi, has better latency, throughput and fewer dropped connections.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-videocard-and-display\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Videocard and Display\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-videocard-and-display\">\n            \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>There are no video requirements (2.):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>There is no resolution requirement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is no screen size requirement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is no touchscreen requirement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(2.)&nbsp;<em>The video gaming stream requires you to have a video card that can run current games<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>External video ports are useful for group projects and presentations. When purchasing a laptop look for HDMI, display port or VGA ports.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For students in the Gaming development stream we recommend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A laptop with at least HD resolution (1,366 x 768) or better<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gaming students may prefer full HD (1,920 x 1,080) or better display resolutions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A GPU with CUDA (NVIDIA) cores and high compute capability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>RTX (Ray Tracing) GPU\u2019s are recommended since they have dedicated CUDA, Tensor and Ray-Tracing (RT) cores. This will give you the option of using the GPU for not only gaming but also for AI programming.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gaming students tend to prefer larger sized screens 17\u2033 (matter of preference)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-audio-video\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Audio &amp; Video\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-audio-video\">\n            \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your laptop must be able to run video conferencing software like Big Blue Button and Microsoft Teams with sound and video. Your laptop must have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>camera<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>microphone<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>speaker<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An audio jack is useful so you can connect wired headphones.<\/p>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <div class=\"grid pt-4 pb-3 border-b accordion border-cu-black-100 md:pt-6 md:pb-5 first:border-t\">\n        <dt class=\"font-semibold not-prose\">\n            <button class=\"flex items-center justify-between w-full text-left accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"accordion-tips-add-ons\">\n                <span class=\"flex-1 ml-auto text-left break-words whitespace-normal cu-icon\">\n                    Tips &amp; Add-ons\n                <\/span>\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-slot=\"icon\" class=\"w-5 h-5 ml-auto transition-transform rotate-0 accordion__icon text-cu-black-500\">\n                    <path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" d=\"M8.25 4.5l7.5 7.5-7.5 7.5\"><\/path>\n                <\/svg>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/dt>\n        <dd class=\"p-0 mt-0 cu-prose cu-prose-first-last accordion__content md:p-0 md:mt-0\" hidden=\"\" id=\"accordion-tips-add-ons\">\n            \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are additional laptop features that you can look for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>your laptop should have USB 3 ports (USB C ports are useful as well)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>you may prefer thin light laptops so it is easy to carry with you<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>recommended is a laptop with long battery life and fast charging<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>recommended is that you invest in a padded carry case<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>built-in SD card readers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>face recognition and\/or fingerprint sensors for quick secure logins<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>USB3 charging<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n        <\/dd>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    <\/dl>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The School of Computer Science laptop hardware requirements are as follows. Summary Requirements PC or MAC laptops with the following minimum specifications: Computers such as Netbooks, Chromebooks, Smartphones or atom processors&nbsp;are not suitable&nbsp;for the Computer Science program Detailed Recommendations The detailed laptop hardware specifications are as follows. This will be particularly useful for anyone looking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":7671,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cu_dining_location_slug":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_page_type":[],"class_list":["post-7510","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7510"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26074,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7510\/revisions\/26074"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_page_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_page_type?post=7510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}