UC Berkeley engineering laptop requirements

Revision Date: 6-29-2020

All incoming EECS undergraduate and graduate students are required to have laptops consistent with the specifications below. The specifications will be updated periodically, but students who purchase or already own a laptop consistent with the laptop specifications below at the time they first enroll in an EECS degree program will not be required to update their laptop hardware if they remain enrolled continuously in an EECS degree program.

Laptop/Netbook Minimum Recommended Specifications

• Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit, or MAC OS 10.13, High Sierra or above.
• Processor: processing power comparable to that of an Intel Core i5 processor or higher.
• Memory: at least 4 gigabytes.
• Hard drive: at least 256 gigabytes. Solid state hard drive highly recommended.
• External storage: an external storage device [e.g., an external USB hard disk drive] with at least 256 gigabytes is recommended for students to back up their laptop. All students have cloud storage – OneDrive – with their WSU email account.
• Display: must support resolution of 1280×800 or higher. An HDMI display output port [for presentations] is highly recommended.
• Networking: wireless internet connectivity required.
• Standard Software:
  • All students with their WSU account have access to MS Office 365.
  • Adobe reader
• A three-year service contract is suggested but not required.
• USB ports: at least two USB ports. One USB-C port is recommended but not required.

Course-specific Software

• CS will maintain a server for download of Linux OS, for courses that require this. There are a variety of ways to run Linux on a Windows laptop; the Information Systems Group [ISG] will provide help where needed.
• Many EE courses use MATLAB. MATLAB is available for free download to WSU students. Some EE courses use PSPICE circuit simulation software. Freeware versions of PSPICE will be recommended by EE instructors.

Management Policies

• Incoming students are strongly encouraged to contact the Information Systems Group [ISG] upon their arrival at WSU, to ensure that their laptops are compatible with the EECS systems environment, and with the various software packages used in EECS courses. The ISG can be contacted through the VCEA helpdesk [509-335-6773], or by sending email to .
• The ISG will maintain a FERPA-compliant server on which TAs will store their course records. TAs will have the option of connecting to this server through their laptop, or through an ISG-supplied thin-client in their office.

For exclusive savings on recommended laptops for EECS students, visit Dell.com/EECS [member ID: 57341495] or call 1-888-973-3355.

You will need an up-to-date computer to make full use of your ResNet connection.

These are our current requirements and recommendations for each computer operating system:

The following configuration is recommended for students who intend to keep a computer for four years without a major upgrade:

*A solid state drive is a storage drive that does not use "traditional" hard drive technology of recording data on magnetic disks, meaning it has no moving parts. This makes them more reliable, faster, and less prone to data loss from dropping / carrying a laptop around. The downside is solid state technology is still more expensive than "traditional" hard drive technology, and space is still a limiting factor. If a solid state drive is purchased, we recommend also purchasing an external hard drive for data storage. 

Minimum Computer Requirements

Below are the minimum required specifications for any Windows computer to be used on the network. It is not recommended to use a computer on campus that does not meet these specifications. Computers that do not meet these minimum requirements will receive limited support.

• Operating System: Windows 8. Please note that Windows 7, Vista, and XP are no longer supported and are not allowed on the network.
• Processor: Intel Pentium dual-core or AMD A4 APU
• Memory: 2GB RAM
• Hard Drive: 80 GB Hard Drive with at least 15% free space
• Networking Hardware: 802.11n or higher WiFi adapter
• Current firewall program
• Current anti-virus software
• Current internet web browser

• Distributions of Windows can be found for sale in the UCSD Bookstore.
• First, check to see if you're eligible to upgrade for free. If not, or if you're building a new computer, there are two editions of Windows 10 currently offered to consumers:
  • Windows 10 Home – The base version of Windows 10
  • Windows 10 Pro – Contains all of the features of Windows 10, as well as the following features:
    • Remote Desktop Host – Ability to remotely control the computer from another Windows or Mac computer
    • BitLocker & EFS Encryption
    • Ability to join Windows Domains
    • System Virtualization – Full Hyper-V virtualization on 64-bit versions with compatible CPUs
• Using the home Windows 10 edition will meet the academic needs for most students. The ability to access your computer remotely would be the primary advantage of installing Windows 10 Pro. And yes, the ResNet network currently allows students to access their computers remotely, on and off campus!

• Any new computer purchased after around 2006 should be capable of running a 64-bit operating system. ResNet recommends the 64-bit version in order to take full advantage of your system's processing power and to increase RAM capacity, which is limited to 3.5 GB under the 32-bit operating system.
• Essentially, using the 64-bit OS will allow you access to extra features and performance. All your 32-bit applications will run fine under the 64-bit operating system.

The following configuration is recommended for students who intend to keep a computer for four years without a major upgrade:

Current Mac offerings do not feature user-replaceable / upgradeable memory. If you purchase a Mac, you will not be able to upgrade or replace your memory after your purchase. ResNet recommends maximizing your memory configuration prior to purchase.

Below are the minimum required specifications for any Mac computer to be used on the network. It is not recommended to use a computer on campus that does not meet these specifications. Computers that do not meet these minimum requirements will receive limited support and may be blocked from the network.

• Operating System: macOS 10.13 High Sierra or higher with the latest software updates
• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
• Memory: 2GB RAM
• Hard Drive: 80 GB Hard Drive with at least 15% free space
• Networking Hardware: 802.11n or higher WiFi adapter
• Current firewall program
• Current anti-virus software
• Current internet web browser

How can I update from my current macOS version?

• Updates for macOS can be found in the app store. Using your Apple ID, you should be able to upgrade your operating system to the latest version at no additional charge. 

• Beyond the information on this page, ResNet only offers limited support for these systems.
• Intrusion into multi-user operating systems is common and may result in your computer violating our Acceptable Use Policy. You will be held responsible if this occurs, even if you had no knowledge of the intrusion.
• Because it will not be accessible from off-campus locations, hosting a web page or other service on your computer will not be possible.
• You are responsible for not violating the Acceptable Use Policy if you provide services on your computer.

There are no minimum hardware requirements for running Linux / Unix. If you can get it to run, congratulations!

You must ensure that the operating system and all software is kept up to date. Security updates come out for most Linux distributions daily. It is your responsibility to stay on top of these updates to ensure conformance with the Acceptable Use Policy and, more importantly, to keep your machine from getting broken into.

Some of the most common pitfalls of Linux machines are configurations that have been overlooked. A few things to watch out for are:

• SMTP server running on port 25 [ex. Postfix, Exim, Sendmail]
• SSH allowing version 1 connections [only version 2 should be allowed]
• FTP [port 21] or Telnet [port 23] services running

Additionally, you must configure your firewall [IPTables] to prevent unwanted connections.

Linux is available in many different "flavors" known as "distros". A few of the most popular ones are:

• Ubuntu Linux: Ubuntu has been hailed eWeek as the most popular Linux distros today. It is the easiest to install and use for first-time Linux users, but versatile enough for pro-users as well. Recommended for beginner to advanced Linux users.
• Linux Mint: A build of Ubuntu making use of a clean user interface, Linux Mint is the 4th most-widely used operating system behind Windows, OS X, and Ubuntu. Mint makes use of a more traditional user interface that PC switchers may find useful.
• Gentoo Linux: Gentoo throws you head first into Linux knowledge by having you build your system from the ground up. Recommended for intermediate to advanced Linux users that want to learn a lot and run a very customized operating system.
• Debian Linux: One of the longest running distributions, Debian is still under active development, but releases more slowly than other Linux distros. It tends to be used for servers, rather than desktops.
• SUSE Enterprise Linux: The commercial version of Linux from Novell. You have to pay for it, but unlike many others it comes with support.
• openSUSE: The open source [and free] version of SUSE from Novell.
• Mandriva Linux: Another commercial Linux distribution that comes with support. Recommended for Linux beginners.
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux: The commercial version of Linux from Red Hat. You have to pay for it, but it comes with support.
• Fedora Project: A Red Hat-Sponsored Community Project.

The most common Unix variant [aside from Linux] is BSD, developed at UC Berkeley. The most popular open source distributions of BSD are: