Computer recommendations

Incoming students often wonder what type of computer will best serve them at university. If you are an incoming student purchasing a laptop, keep in mind that four years is a long time in technology terms. You are best off to buy the best mid-range new laptop you can find. For most students in the Faculty of Science, we recommend using a Windows laptop. We do not recommend solely using a phone, tablet or Chromebook. In consideration of students who have preexisting devices, we have provided recommended specifications for both Windows and Apple laptops below.

Windows laptops (recommended)

 

Recommended

 

Recommended

Operating system

Windows 11 (Pro, Education, or Enterprise)

Processor

  • Intel Core i7 (no more than two years old)

  • AMD Ryzen 7000 series or later generations

Memory

16 GB or more

Hard drive

1TB or larger SSD

Apple laptops

*may not run some software

 

Recommended

 

Recommended

Operating system

Latest version of MacOS

Processor

Apple M1 or M2 processor

Memory

16 GB or more

Hard drive

1TB or larger SSD