Many new students email us or CSINFO about what laptop requirements are necessary for CS. It usually takes a while to email each person with decent advice.
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We create a guide giving general advice on what students should purchase.
Additional Details
Here's the latest advice I gave someone for perspective:
There really aren't any specific laptop requirements for students in CS. I would keep a few things in mind though:
- I probably wouldn't go with a chromebook since you can't install much on them
- I would recommend getting a laptop that is somewhat portable and has decent battery life. If you don't have one like this you'll still be able to do your classes, it just won't be as nice.
- You probably want something somewhat fast, at the bare minimum 8gb of ram and an SSD will make your life much nicer. Again, this isn't a strict requirement but will very drastically improve your quality of life. 12gb or 16gb of ram is preferable but if you're really in a bind 8gb will do.
- Storage wise I would recommend at least 256gb and it should definitely be an SSD. If you have a little bit more room to spend, I'd definitely go for 512gb or 1Tb though (storage can be taken up very quickly).
- Windows or MacOS will be fine, (Linux is fine too). Most CS students go with Windows though because they generally give you more bang for your buck.
Describe Problem
Many new students email us or CSINFO about what laptop requirements are necessary for CS. It usually takes a while to email each person with decent advice.
Suggest Solution
We create a guide giving general advice on what students should purchase.
Additional Details
Here's the latest advice I gave someone for perspective: