DoIT Showroom Buyer's Guide

• DoIT
• UW
• MyUW
• PEOPLE

Recommended System Requirements for New UW-Madison Students

These recommendations are for computers that you may already own. For recommendations for purchasing a new computer please see our section on buying a new computer.

In order to provide a dependable, responsive computing environment for the typical student computing services provided at UW-Madison, the following system recommendations should be followed. These recommendations are constantly changing and should be used as a guideline in determining the current usefulness of existing computers. This document will be updated regularly since new services will continue to increase the recommended system requirements.

If you're looking to buy upgrade components (hardware or software) or upgrade services, take a look at the DoIT Tech Store online catalog for available Hardware, Software and Installation Services. The best software deals for students are available online through the Wisconsin Integrated Software Catalog (WISC).

For student PC users, Office 2007 Enterprise, Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate can be purchased in person at the DoIT Tech Store for $72 to $77 each. For student Macintosh users, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) can be purchased in the Tech Store for $69, and Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac can be purchased for $72. Symantec AntiVirus can be picked up for free in the Tech Store, or downloaded for free via high-speed Internet connection at home, office or computer lab. The above Microsoft products can also be purchased online at WISC for $72 to $77 including delivery to your home or campus address. As an alternative to Microsoft Office, you may want to consider other office solutions such as Apple iWork, NeoOffice, or other free office solutions.

If you have more questions regarding system recommendations, contact the DoIT Tech Store Showroom at (608) 265-7469 or showroom@doit.wisc.edu.

Windows (PC) Computers

Recommended Minimum
• Processor - Pentium 4 (or equivalent) 1.3 GHz or better
• Memory - 1 GB RAM
• Operating System - Windows XP SP2 (Home or Professional edition). Windows Vista requires more system resources. It's requirements are available here: Choosing a version of Vista.
• Hard Drive - 60 GB
• Network connectivity - Ethernet and wireless (laptop only).
• Periphial connectivity - USB 1.1 or better
• Productivity suites - MS Office 2003 or newer, Star Office, Open Office, or comparable software for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations.
• Web Browsers - Internet Explorer 7 or Mozilla Firefox 3
• Optional Email Programs - Outlook 2003/2007 or Mozilla Thunderbird 2.x
• Security software including Symantec AntiVirus, antispyware and Windows XP or newer built-in Firewall.

Apple Macintosh Computers

Recommended Minimum
• Processor - G5 1.6 GHz or better
• Memory -1 GB
• Operating System - MacOS X 10.4.11 or newer
• Hard Drive 60 GB
• Network connectivity - Ethernet and wireless (laptop only).
• Periphial connectivity - USB 1.1 or better
• Productivity suites - MS Office 2004 or newer, Apple iWork, NeoOffice or comparable software for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations.
• Web Browsers - Safari 3 or Mozilla Firefox 3
• Optional Email Programs - Mac OS X Mail, Microsoft Entourage or Mozilla Thunderbird 2
• Security software including Symantec AntiVirus and Mac OS X's built-in Firewall.