New Students
/prod02/channel_1/t4_pending/media/academic-and-institutional-technology/New-Student-Resources.png)
/prod02/channel_1/t4_pending/media/academic-and-institutional-technology/Low-Res-Students.png)
I am a New Flexible Format Student
Resources for flexible format students as you begin your classes off-campus. >>
Computers are a required component of the current higher education environment. There are two primary types of computers (Windows and Mac), with two secondary options (chrome books and Linux computers). At Wheaton, (unless you are in the Computer Science major) you will be best served with coming with a Windows or Mac laptop. The choice between the two is personal, and should be based on your familiarity from past computer use. With that said, the recommendations below are focused on technical specifications rather than choosing a vendor, make or model.
Memory: Recommended 8 gigabytes (GB) of memory also known as RAM. More memory can be beneficial if video or picture editing might happen, but for a solid machine, 8GB is good.
Storage: The storage of the laptop should be 256GB Solid State Drive (SSD) or larger. You may find a used laptop with a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), but it is best to avoid HDD's, since they are many times slower than a solid state drive. Larger drives, such as 512GB or 1 terabyte (TB), could be useful when editing video or pictures.
Processor CPU): This is likely the most confusing aspect of the technical specifications. If you are selecting a Mac, Apple controls which processors they use, so any new Mac will use an Apple M-series chip. For Windows machines, the choices fall between Intel and AMD. Both use a general category naming convention like Ryzen 3, 5, 7, 9, or Intel Core i3, i5, i7, i9. This helps to identify entry level (3,i3), Mainstream Laptops (5, i5), high-performance and gaming laptops (7, i7), and mobile workstations (9, i9). The second consideration is the generation of the chip. Intel's latest generation chip is 14 as of July 2024. AMD's latest generation chip is 7, as of July 2024. They usually increase in by 1 each year. Both AMD and Intel use the beginning of the set of numbers after the 3,5,7,9 to designate the generation. For example an Intel i5 13400 chip is the 13th generation i5 chip, Or an AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 6850 would be the 6th generation