This document reflects the Division of Information Technology current minimum recommendations for Macintosh computers for use by students, faculty, and staff at the University of Maryland. The intention is to recommend both hardware and software for a system that will remain useful for the next few years.

Current and prospective members of the university can also purchase recommended Macintosh computer systems and acquire recommended software through the Terrapin Tech Personal Computer Store located on the ground floor of the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center (ESJ), by the campus drive entrance

If any of the terms used below are unfamiliar, definitions can be found at http://whatis.techtarget.com/.

NOTE: All currently available Macintosh systems meet these specifications.

Macintosh Systems Hardware Recommendations

Processor: Intel Core i5 or Core i7.

Memory: 4 GB or above.

Hard Drive Capacity: 250 GB or more.

Networking: Ethernet card or Thunderbolt ethernet adapter for residence halls or on-campus offices; AirPort card for wireless (not necessary for desktops).

(Optional) CD/DVD Player: Super Drive (DVD-RW/CD-RW) (On some systems it is no longer included and if you need one, you will have to purchase an external Super Drive).

Removable Storage: A flash drive and external hard disk is recommended to backup and transport files.

Macintosh Systems Software Recommendations

Operating System: Mac OS X 10.9 and above.

Office Suite: Microsoft Office 2011 (available for students and staff through TERPware). A free alternative is LibreOffice.

Web Browser: Safari, Firefox, or Chrome.

E-mail Client: Mail or Outlook 2011.

Anti-Virus Software: Avast Free Mac Security.