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Ohio State University logo Office of Information Technology Technology Support Center (8help)

Minimum And Recommended Computer Configurations



To meet the minimum requirements of commonly used software and to use the Internet effectively, your computer should meet the following minimum specifications. A recommended configuration also is included.

Windows Vista

  • Processor: 1 GHz 32 bit, 2 GHz or better duo core 64 bit recommended
  • Operating system: Windows Vista Premium or Business
  • Disk space: 40 GB hard drive minimum; 80 GB or more recommended with at least 15 GB available space
  • Memory (RAM): 1 GB minimum; 2 GB or more recommended
  • For networking: TCP/IP. Wireless 802.11 b/g/n (WPA2 compatible). For modem connections, dial-up adapter installed
  • Support for DirectX 9 Graphics adaptor, with WDDM Driver, 256MG of graphics memory or better (non-shared), Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware, and 32 bits per pixel capabilities
  • CD/DVD Read/Write drive, dual layer recommended
  • Audio Output


Windows XP or ealier system

  • Processor: Pentium class or comparable, 1GHz minimum ; 3 GHz or better recommended
  • Operating system: Windows XP minimum & recommended
  • Disk space: 40 GB hard drive minimum; 80 GB or more recommended
  • Memory (RAM): 256 MB minimum; 512 MB or more recommended
  • For networking: TCP/IP. Wireless 802.11 b/g/n (WPA2 compatible). For modem connections, dial-up adapter installed


Vista Upgrade Advisor

To check your computer to see if it can run vista you can download a program from Microsoft called the Vista Upgrade Advisor. It can check your computers hardware and software and advise you on what components will not run under Vista.

Macintosh computer

  • Processor: G4 minimum; Intel Core(duo) 2 Ghz or better or better recommended
  • Operating system: Mac OS X (Panther) minimum, Tiger (10.4) or Leopard (10.5) recommended
  • Disk space: 40 GB hard drive minimum; 80 GB or more recommended
  • Memory (RAM): 512 MB minimum; 1 GB or more recommended
  • For networking Open Transport (TCP/IP control panel) or Remote Access for modem connections. Wireless 802.11 b/g/n (WPA2 compatible)

Whether you have a Windows or a Macintosh computer, you will need at least a 28.8 modem for off-campus dial-in connections or a 10 Base-T Ethernet adapter card for ResNet, cable modem or DSL connections. For more information for more information on determining what kind of Ethernet card to buy, see the ResNet web site.

A wireless network card supporting 802.11b standards is needed for wireless connection.

Current Record: 918

Create Date: 10-24-2002
Last Reviewed: 07-31-2008


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