New Technology Purchase Recommendations for Students

This is a page to give students and employees an idea of what to look for when choosing hardware and software for personal devices (non-VIU) that are used for learning or work.

Your course may have specific hardware requirements. If you're unsure, contact your instructor for more information.

Please note that VIU does not endorse, recommend, or provide support for these products or services. Every reasonable effort is made to present current and accurate information.

Are you an instructor? Also view Technology for Remote Teaching

Internet Connection

At least 30 Mbps download speed per user
Faster speeds are required if multiple people are using the same connection
A minimum 10 Mbps upload speed per user for video conferencing
For good quality while video conferencing a wired (Ethernet) connection is preferred over wireless

You can check your internet connection speed by doing speed test. Contact your internet service provider if you have questions about your plan.

Hardware and Peripherals

Laptop or Desktop

For most normal day-to-day applications

Intel Core i5 Processor (11th generation or newer) or AMD Ryzen 5 (3000 series or newer)
16 GB RAM
256 GB SSD (solid state drive) minimum storage
Windows 10/macOS Montery 12.x or newer

Higher end for specialized applications (e.g. graphic design, video editing, CAD, gaming, etc)

Intel Core i7 Processor (11th generation or newer) or AMD Ryzen 7 (3000 series or newer)
32 GB RAM
512 GB SSD (solid state drive) storage recommended (256 GB minimum)
Dedicated graphics card (AMD or Nvidia)
Windows 10/macOS Montery 12.x or newer

Webcam