Medical Student Technology Resources

2009-2010 Computer Requirements

• The School of Medicine (SOM) requires incoming medical students to have at least one computer, preferably a laptop, and high-speed internet access at home. Computers must meet the following recommendations to ensure access to SOM curriculum resources.
• Questions? Please see our Computer Requirements FAQ.
• For Faculty/Staff computing see SOMTech Computer Purchasing.
• For special hardware and software discounts see Computer Purchasing Discount Programs.

	Minimum	Recommended
Operating System	Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 or Windows Vista Business	Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 or Windows Vista Business
Processor	Intel Centrino 2 or Pentium Core 2 Duo 1.6 GHz	Intel Centrino 2 or Pentium Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or higher
Memory	2 GB	4 GB
Hard Drive	120 GB SATA HDD	250 GB SATA HDD or higher
Ports	(2) high-speed USB ports	(3) high-speed USB ports, (1) 1394 FireWire port, (1) Built-in Media Reader
Optical Drive	DVD-RW drive	Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
Removable Storage	2 GB USB Flash Drive, 80 GB External Hard Drive	8 GB USB Flash Drive, 250 GBExternal Hard Drive
Network port	100 Mbps Ethernet 802.11b/g Wireless	100 Mbps Ethernet 802.11b/g/n Wireless
Video RAM	256 Mb	512 MB
Display	14” Display	16” WXGA high-definition widescreen
Audio	Built-in speakers or headphones	Built-in speakers or headphones
Software Plug-ins can be found at: 3rd Party Web browser Plugins	Microsoft Office 2007 Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 or higher Adobe Flash plug-in for IE and Mozilla Adobe Shockwave plug-in for IE and Mozilla Real Player QuickTime Windows Media Player iTunes Sophos Anti-Virus Anti-Spyware IE 7 and Mozilla Firefox	Microsoft Office 2007 Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 or higher Adobe Flash plug-in for IE and Mozilla Adobe Shockwave plug-in for IE and Mozilla Real Player QuickTime Windows Media Player Power DVD iTunes Sophos Anti-Virus Anti-Spyware IE 7 and Mozilla Firefox
Off-campus Network Access	High-speed DSL or Cable Internet connection	High-speed DSL or Cable Internet connection

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Additional Recommendations

• Laptops are highly recommended over desktops because of their portability.
• Anti-Virus and Malware protection is required and available at no charge from VCU Technology Services.
• An Ethernet cable is required to access the on-campus wired network. 25' is recommended.
• Remember to back up your vital data onto an external USB key or hard drive.

Specific Recommendations for Students Purchasing Laptops

• Accidental damage coverage is very strongly advised.
• Security lock cable is recommended. These are universal for all laptop computers.
• Portables are additionally advised to have Bluetooth, and a high capacity battery.
• A theft recovery software subscription such as “LoJack for Laptops” is encouraged.

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