Engineering & Computer Science Computer Recommendations
Although we don't recommend a specific brand or model for students, we do provide general guidelines in the hardware we believe is best suited for college work. These recommendations are based around the computers we are currently purchasing for the College. For Engineering and Physics students, follow the ‘Recommended Specifications’, not the ‘Minimum Specifications.’. We also strongly recommend getting a three-to-four year on-site service warranty. ITS recommends consulting Consumer Reports as it provides information on a variety of computer models. Elizabethtown College has purchasing arrangements with both Dell and Apple. You may purchase a computer at a small discount (5-8%) from these vendors by visiting this site.
Computer SpecificationsFrequently Asked Questions
Engineering and Physics students will install several software tools on their computers for use in their engineering classes and projects, including Autodesk® applications. Unfortunately, there is not a version of Autodesk® compatible with Macs. Therefore, students with Macs will need to use college owned PCs equipped with the Autodesk® software or arrange to have their hard drives partitioned (ITS can help with this). We have PCs available for use during class, and the college provides all engineering software on numerous computer labs and laptops available to borrow from the High Library when working on projects outside of class.
We strongly discourage Chromebooks as they do not support Windows Office applications. Students will use Windows Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) extensively.
For additional questions regarding our campus network, cable, software or investments in other personal devices, see the ITS Computer Specifications page.