Purchasing a New Personal Computer
Illinois Wesleyan University IT Services recommends these minimum specifications for new computers.
Reminder - if you opt for a desktop computer rather than a laptop be sure you bring a webcam and speakers!
Windows
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Hard Drive: 512GB SSD
- Built-in WiFi
Macintosh
- Operating System: Macintosh OSX Monterey (version 12) or higher
- Processor: Apple M1 or higher
- Memory: 16GB RAM
- Hard Drive: 512GB SSD
- Built-in WiFi
The University has arrangements with a few vendors to assist with your technology needs. These are good places to start, but prices are constantly changing, so be sure to shop other vendors and compare the prices to get the best deal. Be sure to ask for academic discounts from all technology vendors.
Illinois Wesleyan University is a Google Workspace for Education school. All students, faculty, and staff have free access to the Google suite of applications that include Google Docs (word processing), Sheets (spreadsheet), Presentations (slide presentation), Sites (website creation), Calendar, Drive (a virtual hard drive) with online storage to store all of your work safely in the Google Cloud, and more.
To shop, simply click on the link above. You will be taken to Apple's affiliate program
store where you will automatically get an educational discount on any purchases made.
Mike Benkoski at CDWG has provided some recommended systems from Lenovo and Apple for purchase by IWU students and families. Contact Mike with
questions: 866-221-1536 mikbenn@cdwg.com
Students and families can purchase Dell products at an academic discount.
Students and Faculty can obtain Mathematica for their use. There are additional resources available such as free online seminars, pre-built examples and more.
Preparing your Computer for IWU
The following checklist contains some of the things you will need to complete before arriving.
- Install virus protection that is regularly updated
- Install Malware Protection
- Turn on antivirus automatic updates
- Turn on Windows or Mac automatic updates
- Bring surge suppressor strip
- Install a secondary Internet browser such as Google Chrome or Firefox
Getting New Software
Faculty/Staff
Faculty and staff have access to Microsoft Office to use on their university-owned computers as well as personally-owned computers that are used for university work. They also have access to Wolfram's Mathematica.
Students
Illinois Wesleyan University is a Google Workspace for Education school. All students have free access to the Google suite of applications including Google Docs (word processing), Sheets (spreadsheet), Presentations (slide presentation), Sites (website creation), Calendar, Drive with online storage to store your work safely in the Google Cloud, and more.
Open Source Software
There may be community-supported alternatives to popular commercial software. These can be free or very low-cost, but might be complicated to install and use. Our small team at IT Services may not be able to provide advice or assistance with these applications. Students should read available documentation and make a careful decision when looking at alternatives to popular commercial software.
- Open Office - An office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more.
- Libre Office - Another free suite of office applications.
- R - Statistical computing package.
- GIMP - For tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring.
If you need additional assistance, please call the IT Services Help Desk (309-556-3900), e-mail (it@iwu.edu), or use the online support request form