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Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Laptop Requirements

Laptop/Netbook Requirements for All EECS Students

Revision Date: 10-19-2022

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 11 (Big Sur) or above.
  • Processor: processing power comparable to that of an Intel Core i5 processor or higher.
  • Memory: at least 16 gigabytes.
  • Hard drive: at least 500 gigabytes. Solid state hard drive highly recommended.
  • External storage:  an external storage device (e.g., an external USB hard disk drive) with at least 500 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 support.vcea@wsu.edu.
  • 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.

Laptop Savings

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