Student Computer Recommendations

Computer Specifications by College

Recommended Minimum Desktop Specs

• i5 Processor
• 8 GB of RAM
• 500 GB Hard Drive
• DVD+RW
• 10/100/1000 Ethernet Network Card, Category 5
• Ethernet Cable
• 19” LCD Monitor
• Windows 10 Branch 1902 or higher
• Mac OS 10.14 Mojave with latest updates
• Anti-Virus Software, MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• 4-year on-site parts and labor warranty

Recommended Minimum Laptop Specs

• i5 Processor
• 8 GB of RAM
• 500 GB Hard Drive
• DVD+RW
• 10/100/1000 Ethernet Network Card and/or
• 802.11 a/b/g/n Wireless Network Card
• 14” or 15” Screen
• Windows 10 Branch 1902 or higher
• Mac OS 10.14 Mojave with latest updates
• Anti-Virus Software, MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• 4-year on-site parts and labor warranty

College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

• Graphics card scoring a G3DMark of 16,000 or higher
• Graphics card memory 11 GB or more
• Operating system Windows 10 64-bit**
• CPU (processor) Intel/AMD Processor scoring a single thread CPUMark of 2500 or higher
• Screen resolution Minimum 1920 x 1080 pixels***
• System memory (RAM) 64 GB or more
• Hard drive NVME m.2 Hard Drive
• Hard drive space Minimum 30 GB of free disk space in the drives where the Windows User Account and Documents folder are located in.
• Power supply (minimum 80+ gold-rated with sufficient wattage)
• Graphics card memory 11 GB or more

Family and Consumer Science (Fashion Design and Merchandising Program):

• Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit only) or Mac OS X v10.12 or later, Internet capability
• i7 processor; 16 GB or higher of memory (RAM); 500 GB or higher of hard drive space (1 TB preferred); camera

Animal Science:

• University standard format for computers

Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education:

• University standard format for computers

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Minimum Specs—Intel® 6thGen or newer CPU, 8GB RAM, 2GB of GPU VRAM, 8 GB of available Hard-Disk space, Monitor Resolution 1280x800
• Preferred Specs (Highly Recommended)—Intel® 6thGen or newer CPU, 16GB RAM for HD media, 32 GB for 4k media or higher, 4 GB of GPU VRAM, fast internal SSD Hard Drive-(Additional high-speed drive(s) for media-Strongly Recommended but not required), Monitor Resolution 1920 x 1080 or greater  
• Mac OS .10.13 or later required
• Wi-Fi capability
• Adobe Creative Cloud, Final Draft Screenwriting software & Microsoft Office Suite required (Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft Office Suite downloadable from NCAT)
• Webcam and microphone required (built-in preferred, but external at minimum)
• Earphones or speakers required (built-in or external) 
• Administrator rights required to install test monitoring software
• Ethernet port or USB to Gigabit adapter recommended but not required
• MacBooks are recommended for JOMC students 
• Chromebooks, tablets, or equivalents are not acceptable for JOMC students 

• Minimum Specs—i5, Quad core CPU or better, 8 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive
• Preferred Specs—i7, Quad core CPU or better, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB Hard drive or SSD
• Windows 10 or better required
• Wi-Fi capability
• Microsoft Office Suite required (downloadable from NCAT)
• Webcam and microphone required (built-in preferred, but external at minimum)
• Earphones or speakers required (built-in or external) 
• Administrator rights required to install test monitoring software
• Ethernet port or USB to Gigabit adapter recommended but not required
• Chromebooks, tablets, or equivalents are not acceptable for CAHSS students

College of Business and Economics

• Minimum Specs—i5, Quad core CPU or better, 8 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive
• Preferred Specs—i7, Quad core CPU or better, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB Hard drive or SSD
• Windows 10 or better required
• Wi-Fi capability
• Microsoft Office Suite required (downloadable from NCAT)
• Webcam and microphone required (built-in preferred, but external at minimum)
• Earphones or speakers required (built-in or external) 
• Administrator rights required to install test monitoring software
• Ethernet port or USB to Gigabit adapter recommended but not required
• Macs are not recommended for business students 
• Chromebooks, tablets, or equivalents are not acceptable for business students

College of Education

• Minimum Specs—i5, Quad core CPU or better, 8 GB RAM, 500 GB hard drive
• Preferred Specs—i7, Quad core CPU or better, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB Hard drive or SSD or compatible MacBook
• Windows 10 or better required
• Hot spot
• Wi-Fi capability
• Microsoft Office Suite required (downloadable from NCAT)
• Webcam and microphone required (built-in preferred, but external at minimum)
• Earphones or speakers required (built-in or external) 
• Administrator rights required to install test monitoring software
• Ethernet port or USB to Gigabit adapter recommended but not required (hardline for internet)
• Adobe Creative or video editor (compress and clip videos)
• Go React software if enrolled in clinical experience
• Video recording device/camera to video lesson
• Anti-Virus Software
• 4-year on-site parts and labor warranty
• Chromebooks, tablets, or equivalents are not acceptable for education students

College of Engineering

• Computer: A laptop or 2-in-1 tablet with specifications meeting the minimum requirements listed above. The recommended configuration should the minimum for any student taking a computer graphics related course.
• Warranty: 3 year onsite with accidental damage coverage (recommended 4 years)
• Software: Every registered student will receive access to Microsoft Office 365 with access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Additionally Google Apps for Education is available. Numerous Engineering applications are available free of charge, and all Campus Computer lab applications are accessible through the College of Engineering Web portal.
• Backup: An external disk backup solution is recommended although, space is provided for all students on Google Drive.
• Apple MacBook: Students pursuing an engineering degree who prefer an Apple computer such as an iMac or MacBook Pro having an OS X operating system should be aware that some of the software available to engineering students is not directly compatible with OS X and that a lesser number of Engineering applications are available to Apple users.

 College of Health and Human Services

• i7 Processor
• 16 GB of RAM
• 1 TB Hard Drive
• DVD+RW
• 10/100/1000 Ethernet Network Card and 802.11 a/b/g/n Wireless Network Card
• 15” inch screen
• Built-in web camera
• Built-in microphone
• Wi-Fi capability
• Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise
• Office 365 Suite from the University
• Windows Defender Anti-virus
• Malware Bytes and TDS-Killer
• QuestionMark web proctoring software
• 4-year on-site parts and labor warranty with accidental damage
• Administrator rights required to install test monitoring software
• Chromebooks, tablets, or equivalents are not acceptable for CHHS students

College of Science and Technology

• Windows 11 64bit OS (Pro Recommended) 

• Intel i7 Processor, 8th Gen or Higher 

• 16 GB or Higher RAM (32 GB Recommended) 

• 1TB SSD Hard Drive or larger 

• 15” Screen or Larger 

• Built-in Web Camera & Mic (Required) 

• 802.11 a/b/g/n Wireless Network Card 

• Ethernet Port (Recommended)

• NVIDIA or ATI Graphics Card (6+ GB ram for video Recommended – 4 GB minimum) 

• USB A and C ports and HDMI port

• Anti-Virus Software 

• MS Office (provided by campus)

• 3 Year Accident Warranty Protection (4 years Recommended)

• Operating System:  Windows or Mac OS

• Chromebooks, tablets, or equivalents are not acceptable for CoST students

Please note: Students pursuing an engineering or science and technology degree, who prefer to use an Apple computer, such as an iMac or MacBook Pro, should be aware that some software available to engineering or science and technology students is not directly compatible with OS X and that a lesser number of Engineering applications are available to Apple users.