Student Laptop Requirements
Please review our laptop requirements below for information on computer specifications. If you have questions, please contact IT Services at (757) 594-7079 or helpdesk@cnu.edu
Additionally, consider visiting our vendor partners, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell and Apple for pricing options and our recommendations for laptops that will work effectively on the CNU network. As a reminder, you will need to maintain an updated anti-virus solution as well as your operating system.
Laptop recommendations to satisfy the university requirement standards
| Major | Type | Example | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| All majors in Luter School of Business | PC only | Dell XPS 13* | $2,000 |
| All other majors | PC or Apple | Dell XPS 13*, MacBook Air (M2) | $2,000 - $2,100 |
- Fine Arts and Humanities recommends students bring computers capable of running Adobe Creative Cloud apps
- Some programs used by Physics, Computer Science and Engineering run more smoothly on Windows but can work on macOS
- For students in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, Windows is strongly recommended
*Other compatible PC laptops include Lenovo, HP and Microsoft Surface. Chromebooks are not supported.
Configuration
| Type | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i7 or Apple m2 or AMD equivalent |
| Memory | 16GB or better |
| Hard drive | 500GB SSD or better |
| Video | Dedicated 1GB (or more) or integrated video |
| Wireless | 802.11ac |
| Warranty | Four-year manufacturer warranty all on hardware, including accidental damage |
| Operating systems | Microsoft Windows 10 or newer (not in S-mode) Apple macOS 11 or newer Full Linux builds newer than July 2022 |
| Software | Microsoft Office 365 is free while enrolled at CNU |