Laptop/Computing Requirements
Apple MacBook (M1) and Chromebook Warning
Apple M1 MacBooks and Chromebooks are not supported at this time!
Apple MacBook units based on the M1 chipset and Google Chromebooks are both unable to run the Windows operating system out of the box. Most Fanshawe programs are designed to utilize software with the Windows operating system as the expected software platform. As a result, purchasing a MacBook with the M1 chipset or a Google Chromebook for school use is not recommended. It is recommended to stay with a Windows based computer for all school purposes.
Updated Computing Requirements for Students Learning at Home
The IT Service Desk has and will be updating this page with Laptop/Desktop Requirements for Students learning at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please ensure that your computer meets the necessary requirements that are located on this page.
Please see below for the complete list of Laptop Requirements.
- School of Information Technology Laptop Requirements
- Lawrence Kinlin School of Business Laptop Requirements
- School of Applied Science and Technology Laptop Requirements
- School of Art and Design Laptop Requirements
- London South Campus Program Laptop Requirements
- Photography MacBooks (Provided and included in Tuition)
- (NEW) COVID-19 Computer Requirements for At-Home Learners
Please note; Laptop requirements and Laptop recommendations are provided by the departments that they are designed for. Should you have any questions about laptops, requirements, specs or parameters, please contact your program coordinator or administration. The IT Service Desk recommends you check with your school prior to purchasing a laptop.
If you require Bootcamp instructions (Installing Windows on a Mac, click here)
Important Note:
Please note, All School of IT Programs now require a WebCam and Microphone
Please Ensure that your laptop has a built-in webcam and microphone, which is required for online learning.
Please Ensure that your laptop has a built-in webcam and microphone, which is required for online learning.
School of Information Technology
CPA - Computer Programmer Analyst
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 16GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Hard Disk Drive: 750GB or greater HDD with external USB Storage Drive
- Display: UXGA (1600 x 1200) DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.50 or better
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
CTN / CTY - Computer Systems Technology
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Hard Disk Drive: 512 GB SSD (Internal) & 512GB SSD (External USB 3.0 or faster Drive)
- Memory: 16GB Minimum (32 Recommended)
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
- Web Conferencing Requirements:
- Webcam
- Mic and Speakers
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
GDP - Game Development - Advanced Programming
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 16GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Hard Disk Drive: 750GB or greater HDD with external USB Storage Drive
- Display: Discrete (AMD/NVIDIA), NOT integrated, video card (GPU), supporting at least DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, and Vulkan
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
ISM - Information Security Management
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 16GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Hard Disk Drive: 256GB SSD or greater HDD with external USB Storage Drive
- Display: 14" XGA (1024x768), DirectX11 and OpenGL 4.0 (or higher) compatible or better
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
IWD - Internet Applications and Web Development
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 16GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Hard Disk Drive: 750GB or greater HDD with external USB Storage Drive
- Display: 14" XGA (1024x768), DirectX11 and OpenGL 4.0 (or higher) compatible or better
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
NSA - Network and Security Architecture
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 16GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Hard Disk Drive: 256GB or greater SSD with external USB Storage Drive
- Display: 14" XGA (1024x768), DirectX11 and OpenGL 4.0 (or higher) compatible or better
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
SST - Software and Information Systems Testing
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 8GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Hard Disk Drive: 750GB or greater HDD with external USB Storage Drive
- Display: 14" XGA (1024x768), DirectX11 and OpenGL 4.0 (or higher) compatible or better
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
CYB - Cyber Security
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 32GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Hard Disk Drive: 750GB or greater HDD with external USB Storage Drive
- Display: 14" XGA (1024x768), DirectX11 and OpenGL 4.0 (or higher) compatible or better
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
Lawrence Kinlin School of Business
Lawrence Kinlin School of Business
Generic Business Specifications
While there are no concrete requirements for the School of Business, the IT Service Desk recommends the following:
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 8GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education 1
- Hard Disk Drive: Any Hard Drive 2
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
1 Apple OSX is not fully supported in certain applications. Users may need to bootcamp their Apple computers. Windows 10 is available free of charge for all Fanshawe Students. ChromeBooks are not supported.
2 The IT Service Desk recommends at least a 7200RPM hard drive, or a Solid State Drive (SSD)
School of Applied Science and Technology
School of Applied Science and Technology
Manufacturing (SolidWorks and NX Requirements)
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support (Intel i5 or i7, i7 recommended)
- Memory: 8GB Minimum, 16GB Recommended
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Hard Disk Drive: 750GB or greater HDD with external USB Storage Drive, SSD Recommended
- Display: Please consult this link for supported video card configurations.
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
For further details, please consult the manufacturer websites here:
Please note that students should consult the requirements in the links below. The links below are the manufacturer-recommended specifications.
School of Art and Design
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® CPU. i7 Recommended, minimum i5.
- Memory: 16GB Minimum
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education
- Hard Disk Drive: 500GB or greater HDD (SSD Recommended)
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
London South Campus Programs
London South Campus - BIA Program
The IT Service Desk recommends the following laptop specifications for Business and Information Systems Architecture
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 16GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education 1
- Hard Disk Drive: Any Hard Drive 2
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
1 Apple OSX is not fully supported in certain applications. Users may need to bootcamp their Apple computers. Windows 10 is available free of charge for all Fanshawe Students. ChromeBooks are not supported.
2 The IT Service Desk recommends at least a 7200RPM hard drive, or a Solid State Drive (SSD)
London South Campus - ITI Program
The IT Service Desk recommends the following laptop specifications for Information Technology Infrastructure
- Processor: 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support
- Memory: 16GB Minimum
- Optical Drive: DVD Multi Dual Layer or external USB Optical Drive (Optional)
- Operating System:Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise, Pro, or Education 1
- Hard Disk Drive: Any Hard Drive 2
- Communication devices:
- Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant)
- Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack
- USB Ports: 2 x USB 3.0 ports (additional USB 2.0 ports optional)
1 Apple OSX is not fully supported in certain applications. Users may need to bootcamp their Apple computers. Windows 10 is available free of charge for all Fanshawe Students. ChromeBooks are not supported.
2 The IT Service Desk recommends at least a 7200RPM hard drive, or a Solid State Drive (SSD)
Photography
Students enrolled full-time are not required to purchase a MacBook for Photography. Full-time students will be provided with a MacBook Pro 16″ Laptop (i9, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) of the latest model year. The cost of the MacBook is included in the program fees.
MacBook information will be provided by your coordinator.
Students Learning at Home due to COVID-19
This section contains computing (Laptop or Desktop) specifications for students learning at home due to COVID-19. Please ensure that your computer conforms to the requirements below as this may impact your ability to be successful in your program. Should you have any questions about computer specifications, please contact your school/coordinator.
Apple MacBooks
| Processor | 64 bit Multicore Intel (Intel i5 or Intel i7) |
| Operating system | macOS v10.13 or later |
| RAM | 16GB or more |
| GPU | Discrete graphics card (AMD/Nvidia), 2 GB of GPU VRAM or more, NOT integrated Intel graphics |
| Storage | SSD hard drive recommended |
| External hard drive or cloud storage for media/file backups | |
| Monitor resolution | 1920 x 1080 or greater |
| Network connection | Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant) Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack |
PC Build 1 - General Purpose
| Processor | 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support |
| Operating system | Windows 10 Pro or Education |
| RAM | 8GB Minimum |
| Storage | SSD hard drive recommended |
| External hard drive or cloud storage for media/file backups | |
| Monitor resolution | 1920 x 1080 or greater |
| Network connection | Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant) - [if laptop selected] Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack |
PC Build 2 - Performance
| Processor | 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support (Intel i5 or i7, i7 recommended or AMD equivalent) |
| Operating system | Windows 10 Pro or Education |
| RAM | 16 GB of RAM or more |
| GPU | Discrete AMD or Nvidia with 4GB GPU Vram or more. Must support full OpenGL 3.2 and OpenCL 1.2 technologies. NOT integrated Intel graphics |
| Storage | 500GB hard drive, SSD hard drive recommended |
| External hard drive or cloud storage for media/file backups | |
| Monitor resolution | 1920 x 1080 or greater |
| Network connection | Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant) - [if laptop selected] Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack |
PC Build 3 - High Performance
| Processor | 64 bit Multicore Intel® w/ Intel-VT or 64 bit Multicore AMD with AMD-V support (Intel i7 or AMD equivalent) |
| Operating system | Windows 10 Pro or Education |
| RAM | 16 GB of RAM or more |
| GPU | Discrete AMD or Nvidia card with 6GB vram or more. Must support full OpenGL 3.2 and OpenCL 1.2 Technologies. NOT integrated Intel graphics |
| Storage | 1TB SSD hard drive or more |
| External hard drive or cloud storage for media/file backups | |
| Monitor resolution | 1920 x 1080 or greater |
| Network connection | Wireless (802.11a/b/g/n compliant) - [if laptop selected] Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps with standard RJ45 jack |
