Students must have access to a computer that meets or exceeds the minimum configuration listed below. The recommended configuration should be strongly considered for new purchases.

Windows Computer Requirements

Windows minimum requirements: Any Windows computer capable of supporting Windows 10. See Windows 10 system requirements - Microsoft Support. Every Windows computer sold in the last 10 years is 64-bit and has a compatible GPU or graphics card. A solid-state drive (SSD) is required (SATA or NVMe).

Windows recommended requirements: 16 GB of RAM  on your computer should meet the system requirements for Microsoft's Windows 11. See Windows 11 Specs and System Requirements | Microsoft. See PC Health Check app, if Windows 11 is not yet installed to see whether your system can run Windows 11. An NVMe SSD recommended.

Mac Computer Requirements

Mac minimum requirements: Any Mac capable of supporting macOS Monterey. See macOS Monterey is compatible with these computers.

Mac recommended requirements: Any Mac capable of supporting macOS Sonoma. See macOS Sonoma 14 Supported Devices: Is your Mac Compatible? The Mac Observer.

Linux and Alternative Operating Systems

Linux and alternative operating systems are respected, but not officially supported by Biomed IT. Users of alternative operating systems should be prepared to be their own tech support and should have a supported operating system available in case of incompatibility with Drexel software and systems.

Drexel IT Virtual Computer Labs

Students are free to use Drexel IT's Virtual Computer Labs for coursework and academic projects (i.e., non-research use only).

The software available in the Virtual Computer Labs is provided for coursework and academic projects. Research use is not allowed. Use and access is governed by Drexel University's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).

Backup

We recommend that all students continually back up their data to minimize the risk of data loss. An external drive or a cloud-based backup solution is highly recommended. All Drexel students, staff, and faculty have 5 terabytes (TB) of Drexel OneDrive online cloud storage that can be used to back up the Desktop, Documents, Photos, and OneDrive folders on both their Mac and/or Windows computers.

**Please Note**

Chromebook laptops are not supported, since some of the required software (such as MATLAB) are not available for Chromebook.