For students majoring in any undergraduate or graduate Falk School of Sustainability & Environment program, purchasing a recommended laptop from the Chatham Online Store is strongly encouraged.
Students in Falk School programs will utilize software (e.g., ArcGIS) that is specific (or optimized) to run on Windows. In addition, a wireless mouse and a solid-state drive (SSD) external hard drive with at least 1TB of storage is recommended.
If the laptop is not purchased through the Chatham Online Store, students must purchase or own a Windows-based laptop that meets these minimum requirements.
|
Falk School Requirements |
|
| Operating System | Current and up-to-date Windows-based laptop (Minimum = Windows 10). Chromebooks are not approved by Chatham. |
| Processor (CPU) | 4-core recommended but 6-10 cores are optimal. |
| Memory (RAM) | 32G of RAM or more is recommended. 64G is optimal. Memory is critical for smooth and simultaneous operation of multiple memory-intensive applications. |
| Storage (Hard Drive/SSD) | A minimum of 512GB SSD (Solid State Drive) storage is recommended. |
| Graphics | Does not need to be a specific series, but should be dedicated with 4GB or more of dedicated RAM. |
| Display Connectivity | HDMI (or DisplayPort or MiniDP) port is required. |
| USB Connectivity | At least one USB 3.0 port capable of high-speed connectivity is required. |
| Wireless Connectivity | Ensure the laptop has a reliable Wi-Fi adapter compatible with current Wi-Fi standards (Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax or 6E) and 5GHz. Students may want to consider purchasing a wireless mouse. |
| Battery Life | Aim for a laptop with a battery life of at least 4 hours to support half-day use without mid-class recharging. |
| Screen Size and Resolution | Minimum requirements are a screen size of 13 to 15 inches with a resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080) pixels. 15 inches or larger with at least a 1440p (2560 × 1440) display is encouraged. |
| Webcam | An integrated webcam with 1080P resolution and 30 or 60 frames per second will provide good-quality video. You will need an external webcam if you do not have an integrated webcam. |
For students majoring in Bachelor of Interior Architecture or Master of Interior Architecture programs, purchasing a recommended laptop from the Chatham Online Store is strongly encouraged.
Students in these programs will utilize software (e.g., Autodesk Revit) that is specific (or optimized) to run on Windows. In addition, a wireless mouse and solid-state drive (SSD) external hard drive with at least 1TB of storage is recommended.
If the laptop is not purchased through the Chatham Online Store, students must purchase or own a Windows-based laptop that meets these minimum requirements.
|
IAR Requirements |
|
| Operating System | Current and up-to-date Windows-based laptop (Minimum = Windows 10). Chromebooks are not approved by Chatham. |
| Processor (CPU) | Intel Core i7 6-core or greater. |
| Memory (RAM) | 32G of RAM or more is recommended for smooth and simultaneous operation of multiple applications and browser tabs. |
| Storage (Hard Drive/SSD) | A minimum of 512GB SSD (Solid State Drive) storage is recommended for faster boot times, quicker application launch, and smoother overall system performance. |
| Graphics | DirectX 11 capable graphics card with Shader Model 5. Dedicated with 6GB graphics memory VRAM or higher. |
| Wireless Connectivity | Ensure the laptop has a reliable Wi-Fi adapter compatible with current Wi-Fi standards (Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax or 6E) and 5GHz. |
| Battery Life | Aim for a laptop with a battery life of at least 6-8 hours to support full-day use without frequent recharging. |
| Screen Size and Resolution | An anti-glare or matte screen size of 13 to 15 inches with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD) balances portability and comfortable viewing. |
For students majoring in the Immersive Media program, purchasing a recommended laptop from the Chatham Online Store is strongly encouraged.
Students in this program will utilize software & hardware (e.g., Meta Quest Link) that is specific (or optimized) to run on the recommended device. In addition, a wireless mouse and solid-state drive (SSD) external hard drive with at least 1TB of storage is recommended.
If the laptop is not purchased through the Chatham Online Store, students must purchase or own a laptop that meets these minimum requirements.
|
IMM Requirements |
|
| Operating System | Current and up-to-date Windows-based laptop (Minimum = Windows 10). Chromebooks are not approved by Chatham. |
| Processor (CPU) | Intel Core i7 6-core or greater. |
| Memory (RAM) | 32G of RAM or more is recommended. Memory is critical for smooth and simultaneous operation of multiple memory-intensive applications. |
| Storage (Hard Drive/SSD) | A minimum of 1TB M.2 SSD (Solid State Drive) storage is recommended. Disc read/write speeds are one of the primary bottlenecks in Immersive Media. |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series or newer mobile GPU. 40-series (or newer) preferred. |
| Display Connectivity | HDMI (or DisplayPort or MiniDP) port is required. Connecting displays, headsets, and other devices through USB-C dongles is often a large issue for specific immersive media uses. |
| USB Connectivity | At least one USB 3.0 port capable of high-speed connectivity is required. Many Immersive Media applications require unusually high degrees of bandwidth, like supporting a TiltFive, Intel RealSense, or the like. |
| Wireless Connectivity | Ensure the laptop has a reliable Wi-Fi adapter compatible with current Wi-Fi standards (Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax or 6E) and 5GHz. |
| Battery Life | Aim for a laptop with a battery life of at least 4 hours to support half-day use without mid-class recharging. |
| Screen Size and Resolution | Minimum requirements are a screen size of 13 to 15 inches with a resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080) pixels. 15 inches or larger with at least a 1440p (2560 × 1440) display is encouraged. |
| Webcam | An integrated webcam with 1080P resolution and 30 or 60 frames per second will provide good-quality video. You will need an external webcam if you do not have an integrated webcam. |
For students in the following majors a MacBook Air is required:
For students in the following majors and minors a MacBook Pro is recommended, however a MacBook Air (or a computer that has specs for the Interior Architecture or Immersive Media programs) can still be utilized to successfully complete these majors and minors:
Purchasing the Apple MacBook laptop from the Chatham Online Store is strongly recommended and encouraged.
Students in these programs will utilize software (e.g., Adobe Suite) that is specifically designed (or optimized) to run on a MacBook. In addition, a wireless mouse and a solid-state drive (SSD) external hard drive with at least 1TB of storage is recommended.
If the laptop is not purchased through the Chatham Online Store, students must purchase or own an Apple-based laptop that meets these minimum requirements.
|
MacBook Air |
|
| Operating System | MacOS (Minimum = Sonoma). Chrome devices are not approved by Chatham. |
| Processor (CPU) | A dual-core processor or higher is preferred for efficient multitasking and handling academic software. |
| Memory (RAM) | 16G of RAM or more is recommended for smooth and simultaneous operation of multiple applications and browser tabs. |
| Storage (Hard Drive/SSD) | A minimum of 256GB SSD (Solid State Drive) storage is recommended for faster boot times, quicker application launch, and smoother overall system performance. |
| Wireless Connectivity | Ensure the laptop has a reliable Wi-Fi adapter compatible with current Wi-Fi standards (Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax or 6E) and 5GHz. |
| Battery Life | Aim for a laptop with a battery life of at least 6-8 hours to support full-day use without frequent recharging. |
| Screen Size and Resolution | A screen size of 13 to 15 inches with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD) balances portability and comfortable viewing. |
| Webcam | An integrated webcam with 1080P resolution and 30 or 60 frames per second will provide good-quality video. You will need an external webcam if you do not have an integrated webcam. |
|
MacBook Pro |
|
| Operating System | MacOS (Minimum = Sonoma). Chrome devices are not approved by Chatham. |
| Processor (CPU) | A dual-core processor or higher is preferred for efficient multitasking and handling academic software. |
| Memory (RAM) | 16G of RAM or more is recommended for smooth and simultaneous operation of multiple applications and browser tabs. |
| Storage (Hard Drive/SSD) | A minimum of 256GB SSD (Solid State Drive) storage is recommended for faster boot times, quicker application launch, and smoother overall system performance. |
| Wireless Connectivity | Ensure the laptop has a reliable Wi-Fi adapter compatible with current Wi-Fi standards (Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax or 6E) and 5GHz. |
| Battery Life | Aim for a laptop with a battery life of at least 6-8 hours to support full-day use without frequent recharging. |
| Screen Size and Resolution | A screen size of 16 inches with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (Full HD) balances portability and comfortable viewing. |
| Webcam | An integrated webcam with 1080P resolution and 30 or 60 frames per second will provide good-quality video. You will need an external webcam if you do not have an integrated webcam. |
If you have any questions about choosing a computer or need further guidance, please contact IT Support at support@chatham.edu to discuss what may be best for you and your needs. For all other admission-related questions, please contact the admissions team directly at chathamadmissions@chatham.edu.
