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Recommendations from ENG-CS for students wanting to purchase a Computer.

Trying to purchase a computer, laptop or tablet is an area that is constantly changing.  Many times a specific retail configuration is out of date a month after you purchase it.  The systems that we recommend are models from manufacturers that have proven track records and most have components that are typically not Beta or test items, rather they have components that are continually included in system configurations because they are established.

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Now that you have some idea of how our computer labs are set up, let us offer some recommendations outside of what your individual college department may suggest.  We are providing a recommendation for both workstations, (either a desktop or mid-tower, which would be kept and used in your room) and laptops which offer portability and will allow you to take the system to class and the library, etc.

LAPTOPS:

  •  In a PC Laptop  configuration, consider the mobility of the unit and the care you will exhibit for that unit. We believe that the bookstore can acquire some terrific laptop deals with the most up to date components, so we will refer you to the SU Bookstore's recommendation website so you can review the DELL models available.  In considering your options, weight, size of screen, number of USB ports, touchpad or toggle buttons, are all part of the convenience factor. You may also want to investigate a touch screen that can be used for easier manipulation of applications.
  •  For MAC Laptops  at the lower performance end of the spectrum there is the MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Air, 1.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz, Intel HD Graphics 6000, 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM, 256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage, Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide.
  • On the upper end, we would suggest a MacBook Pro , 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, 2.7GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz, 8GB 1866MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM, 256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage, Intel Iris Graphics 6100, Force Touch trackpad, Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide.
  • If you decide to acquire a MAC you may need to purchase and install VMWare or Parallels and a Windows OS to run some of the ENG-CS software they may need.

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