The BYU Computer Science department encourages students to purchase a laptop to complete course assignments and to be actively engaged in their profession. Students should write code frequently for side projects that interest them and maintain an active portfolio on a site such as GitHub. The department recommends the following for a laptop:

Minimum

- Dual Core processor (Intel or AMD)
- 8 GB of RAM
- 256 GB
- Camera and Microphone
- Wireless Network interface

Recommended:
- Quad Core processor (Intel or AMD)
- 16 GB RAM
- 512 GB solid state drive
- Camera and Microphone
- Wireless Network interface

RENTAL
Sometimes the purchase of a laptop is less desirable, e.g., when a student plans to leave for a mission.  In these cases, another option is to rent.  BYU's Office of Information Technology has a limited stock of laptops available for rent.  The laptops might not meet the minimum specs for purchase, but will typically be sufficient for short-term use.  See these links for more information:

https://itsurplus.byu.edu/rentals.html

https://itsurplus.byu.edu/rentals-laptops.html

Last updated Fall 2021