Choosing a computer to purchase for college is one of the largest investments next to college tuition for incoming freshmen and returning classes. Choosing the right computer the first time saves you time and money in the long run and the computer should last you though all 4 years of your college career. Below are the best recommendations that we can give to make sure the computer you purchase will last for you. These are based on several factors and are more of a minimum so that you do not have to make the purchase several times over the next 4 years.
Note: We have intentionally left off Apple products as many of the applications that you will need to use for college and later in your business career will not work on Apple OS. If you choose to purchase an Apple product, please note you will want to boot camp it and load Windows onto it to get the most out of your computer.
Laptop
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20171204234951im_/https://cob.unt.edu/sites/default/files/img/students/recommended-computing-specifications/laptop.jpg)
ProcessorI5 - quad core
RAM8GB
Processor256GB SSD
ProcessorIntel integrated graphics of 2GB
Desktop
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20171204234951im_/https://cob.unt.edu/sites/default/files/img/students/recommended-computing-specifications/desktop.jpg)
ProcessorI5 - quad core
RAM8GB
Processor1TB HD
ProcessorIntel integrated graphics of 2GB
Operating System
- Windows 10
- Windows 8.1
- Windows 7