Student laptop: specifications

Windows 10 is the UU standard OS and is best supported. Also most of the (local install) software (and licenses) is for Windows. Mac OSX is also supported however, but not all software is available. In that case you have to resort to Windows emulation software.

Processor: minimal 64-bits processor.

Almost all software nowadays is 64bits, so your processor needs to be able to handle that.

Screen size: at least 13" in case of sustained use (your eyes are important)

Resolution 1920x1080: applications using subwindows use a lot of screen space (results in a lot of scrolling otherwise).

Operating systems need at least 20 GB of free space to function properly. Depending on the amount of local software installed and the amount of private media you use (photo, video, music), you may need additional HD capacity.

MacOSX: to emulate Windows, you need atleast an additional 40Gb.

HD storage capacity can usually be expanded. Beware of Macbook laptops (Air/Pro), they can typically not be expanded.

SSD improves performance and energy consumption of your laptop.

Too little RAM memory can greatly affect the system performance. Beware of Macbook laptops (Air/Pro), they can typically not be expanded.

The power consumption of your laptop greatly varies with the type of use (software, screen, periferals). 4 hours refers to the nominal battery life as stated in its specifications. Otherwise: bring a charger all the time.

The educational software doesn't require high graphics specs. It is mainly important that your graphics chip supports protocols like: Shader Model2.0 and DirectX10. A normal integrated chip like Intel HD Graphics 4000 already suffices.

In case of gameplay or other hardware rendering you need a dedicated graphics card.

Some laptops still only support the 2.4 Ghz band. Which is fine for home use but on campus you need a dual band card supporting 5 Ghz WiFi or you may not be able to connect to the Eduroam network.

In some cases you can upgrade your WiFi card, you can also use an external WiFi dongle over USB.