Laptop Requirements

The following courses have a requirement that all students have laptops:

  • CSC2

  • CSC3

  • Honours

Specification

Note

We highly recommend that students enrolled in Computer Science courses, particularly at the second, third year, and postgraduate levels, invest in a laptop with a 64-bit AMD64-compatible processor to ensure compatibility with the software tools needed for Computer Science courses. Examples of suitable 64-bit processors include those from Intel, such as the Intel Core i3, i5, and i7, and those from AMD, such as the AMD Ryzen and AMD A-Series.

Warning

Devices with ARM processors, such as those used in Apple’s M1 and M2-based laptops, tablets, smartphones, Chromebooks, and Raspberry Pi may not be compatible with the software used in Computer Science courses and are therefore not recommended. X32 based processors such as those used in older or low-end netbooks and laptops are also not suitable.

Warning

It is crucial for students to verify that a device meets these system requirements before making a purchase.

Minimum Specification

Warning

The following specification is the minimum hardware required to do this course. Lower specification hardware will hinder your ability to undertake the work in this course.

Note

While adequate, this specification will make it difficult to perform multiple tasks concurrently, and to run a separate operating system in a virtualization environment. We highly recommend that where possible you purchase a laptop which meets the recommended specification.

Processor/CPU

Intel Core i3

RAM/Memory

4 GB

Disk/Storage

250 GB hard disk (or smaller solid-state disk (SSD) with external hard disk)

Screen

11 inches or larger