Notebook Computer Hardware Recommendations Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology School of Media, Art & Design Updated October 29, 2017

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1 Notebook Computer Hardware Recommendations Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology School of Media, Art & Design Updated October 29, 2017 Who should be reading this document? This document is intended for students entering any of the following programs in the School of Media, Art & Design at Durham College, where the student is expected to have a Macintosh notebook computer: Advertising and Marketing Communications Broadcasting Radio and Contemporary Media Contemporary Web Design Fine Arts Advanced Graphic Design Interactive Media Design Investigative Journalism and Documentary Production (graduate certificate) Journalism Mass Media Photography Public Relations (compressed) Video Production Why Mac? Students breaking into creative and design professions need to be familiar with hardware and software used in industry. Our Program Advisories monitor this closely. Student success is the goal of these recommendations. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU BUY THE FOLLOWING: 1) Apple Macintosh Notebook computer 2) External 2.5-inch portable hard drive to back-up your work 3) Ethernet adapter for your computer 4) Ethernet cable to plug into the Campus network 5) Three-prong power cable if your power supply didn't come with one

2 YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY THE FOLLOWING: 1) Subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud; it will be provided for eligible programs. 2) Microsoft Office. Students can download this for free from DC Mail. 3) The Apple Education Bundle. We edit video with Adobe software. APPLE MACINTOSH NOTEBOOK COMPUTER DETAILS We recommend a 13-inch MacBook Pro OR a 13-inch MacBook Air, depending upon which program you are entering. The MacBook Air is suitable for Public Relations or any program where you don't edit a lot of video. With the MacBook Air you have a lightweight computer with all-day battery life. With the MacBook Pro, it is a little heavier but you get better performance and a bright, sharp Retina display that supports higher resolution and has more ports. HOW TO BUY You can buy in person at any Apple store or Apple Authorized Dealer. You can also buy online directly from Apple Canada. When visiting a store in person, be sure to provide proof of enrolment to obtain student pricing. To obtain student pricing online, please visit this URL: If you are buying a new Apple notebook computer off-the-shelf, we recommended these specific models: 13-inch 2017 MacBook Air, Part number: MQD42LL/A You also need to purchase: Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter, Part number: MD463LL/A 13-inch 2017 MacBook Pro, Part number: MPXT2LL/A (Space Grey) or Part number: MPXU2LL/A (Silver) You also need to purchase: Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter, Part number: HJKF2ZM/A There is nothing wrong with the 15-inch MacBook Pro but it may be too expensive for student use given the high-resolution Retina display of the 13-inch. Buy one if you want the largest possible display. We do not recommend the MacBook (2015 or 2017) as it is a premium-priced offering with few ports and a slower processor. If you need all-day battery life, choose the MacBook Air instead.

3 Most students like to buy off-the-shelf. However, there are advantages to customizing your own configure-to-order (CTO) computer. You can only do that online. To obtain student pricing online, please visit this URL: CUSTOMIZATIONS TO CONSIDER: 1) You can increase the amount of memory 2) You can increase the amount of solid state storage In terms of priority, we recommend additional storage before additional memory, but the choice is yours. PLEASE NOTE: These upgrades cannot be added after the purchase because they are soldered onto the main logic board at the factory. Apple will build your CTO notebook computer and ship it right to your door. Please allow one to two weeks for your CTO order to be delivered. HARDWARE RECOMMENDATIONS DETAILS If you buy a new MacBook Pro with only USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, you need this: Part number: HJKF2ZM/A, Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter. If you buy a MacBook Air, you have a choice of the following: Part number: MD463LL/A, Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (for best speed but uses your only Thunderbolt port so if you want to connect to an external display or projector, choose the USB Ethernet Adapter instead). Or: Part number: MC704LL/A, Apple USB Ethernet Adapter. Please buy a three-prong power cord for your notebook computer's power adapter if your computer doesn't include one (like on the MacBook Pro 2016/2017), Apple part number MK122LL/A. You may need it in some rooms and it provides the safety of a ground plug. Buy an Ethernet cable (Category 5e or 6) 1-2 meters, to connect to the Campus network.

4 Durham College has no influence on Apple's pricing, promotions or product refresh cycles, so we suggest time your purchase no earlier than three weeks before school begins to ensure you get the latest and greatest. If you prefer to purchase your notebook computer right away, please keep in mind that a better model may be released at a later date for the same price. That is simply the nature of the computer industry. Please see Apple's website for details on their refund/exchange policies. WARRANTIES Apple notebook computers come with a one-year hardware warranty and 90 days of phone support. Apple's extended warranty is called AppleCare. Endusers can purchase it at any time during the first 30 days after buying a new Mac. AppleCare covers the hardware for manufactured defects for 3 years from original date of purchase and includes phone support for that duration. Other vendors may offer their own warranties which should not be confused with Apple's own offering. Warranties from other vendors can only be processed by those vendors (outside of the first year) and may limit your service options and turnaround times. ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE, LIQUID DAMAGE, LOSS DUE TO THEFT AppleCare does NOT cover accidental damage such as liquid spills, impacts or loss due to theft. Please add your new notebook computer to your household or tenant insurance policy to protect your new purchase. You will need to send your insurance company proof of purchase including serial number. Please backup your data to at least one external hard drive and store it separately from your notebook computer to avoid potential data loss. SOFTWARE Eligible full-time programs include a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. The subscription fee is added to student tuition; there is no need to buy the software separately. For programs that are desktop based, students can use Creative Cloud applications in our computer labs. Those students can also opt-in to our Adobe subscription for an annual fee, currently $150. (Fees are subject to change without notice.)

5 MICROSOFT OFFICE Many of our programs expect students to submit essays in Word format. Once you have your college address, you can obtain Office for free from Microsoft. This promotion is through Microsoft Canada and is between the student and the developer and may end at any time. Students can download Office for free from a button on the right-hand side of DC Mail's Office 365 tab, but are limited to one copy on one computer only. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Can I bring a windows-based notebook computer? This is not recommended. For programs that involve desktop publishing (Journalism Print, Advertising / Marketing, Graphic Design, Public Relations) a Macintosh notebook computer will be needed. Students who choose to bring a Windows-based notebook computer may have difficulty following Macintoshbased instruction, collaborating in groups and may encounter cross-platform issues such as incompatible fonts. Students with computers that do not meet our hardware requirements must be self-supporting. Faculty cannot support non-mac solutions but our support staff can assist with printing and connecting to servers. If you choose a Windows notebook computer it should have similar specifications to the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro: A modern, multi-core processor, 8 or 16 GB of RAM, solid state drive, Windows 10 and compatibility with Adobe Creative Cloud. The 13-inch MacBook Air is the least expensive Macintosh, is it recommended? For students with minimal storage needs (such as Public Relations), this may be sufficient. However, the storage on the least expensive model is only 128 GB GB when formatted, which is very easy to fill, especially for photography or video. If you buy a computer with minimal internal storage you will need an external hard drive. I want to buy the MacBook Air 11-inch, will that work? The 11-inch MacBook Air is no longer sold by Apple and is not recommended because of its screen size and extremely limited storage. Should I buy the 2015 or 2017 MacBook? The 2015 MacBook is a premium offering which comes in lovely colours but is much less economical than the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. Although it is still available, you get more for your money with a MacBook Pro.

6 What if I purchased my Mac laptop before these new models came out? Please do not bring a Macintosh that was manufactured before We recommend: 8 GB or 16 GB Processor - Intel Core i5 or i7 Retina display Solid state drive (SSD) 256 GB or larger My Older Mac has an Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Core Duo. Will It Work? Absolutely not. These older machines cannot run the current Mac operating system or Adobe Creative Cloud. You may see them from certain wholesalers available for as low as $400, but don't be fooled, these are totally unsuitable. Can I get by without a notebook with my desktop at home or in residence? Students are expected to have a mobile learning device (an Apple notebook computer) in order to complete assignments and collaborative work in class. Being able to do work in class is CRITICAL to student success. How do I get the best price? Make sure you are buying from the online Apple Canada education store or if in person, that store personnel are aware you are a student. Time your purchase to take advantage of promotions. Apple's student promotion normally runs from June until early September. Don t buy generic computer accessories from Apple; shop around for these. Instead of buying new, consider a refurbished or used Apple Macintosh notebook computer. If you are buying used from local buy and sell sites such as Kijiji or Craigslist, be sure you know what to look for. Meet any potential sellers in a well-lit public place and bring a Mac expert with you, if possible. See the end of this document for more information. Besides the recommended notebook computer, what else will I need? Students should come to the college with the following: Cat 5e/Cat 6 Ethernet cable to connect to the campus network, 1-2 meters in length. Ethernet adapter. Most programs recommend a 32 or 64 GB USB flash memory "stick" and a portable hard drive for backup. We recommend 1 TB minimum for the hard drive and it should be bus-powered, i.e. not require an external power supply.

7 The college has wireless networking. Why do I need Ethernet? Wireless networking is too slow for large files students may be required to download or hand in using our network servers. Strong wireless coverage is not available in all rooms. Ethernet is hundreds of times faster than wireless networking. How much is enough memory? Choosing how much memory for your computer is a balancing act between cost and performance. For editing video, more memory means better performance. For video editing we recommend 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Is system memory the same as storage? System memory (RAM) should not be confused with mass storage, which is solid state device (SSD) where your programs and data are stored. 256 GB is the minimum size recommended for mass-storage and still may be too small for students with a lot of data needs. My machine has 4 GB of memory, will this work? While 4 GB is the minimum required at the time this document was written by the Adobe software suite, that may change at any time. Having only 4 GB of memory will result in decreased performance as the computer will "swap" memory to the built-in mass storage device. Keep in mind your notebook computer needs to last the entire length of your program of studies, so a small increase in cost now is a good investment for later. Most of Apple's new notebook computers cannot be upgraded after purchase. 8 GB seems to be the current standard. 16 GB is even better. Can I get by with an ipad or other tablet device? Although a tablet can be useful for some tasks, a Macintosh notebook computer with Adobe Creative Cloud is needed to meet all learning outcomes and to work in groups, which is a requirement in all courses. Buying a used or refurbished MacBook Pro If you are buying a used or refurbished MacBook Pro, use these specifications to ensure your purchase will meet our requirements. To check the specifications on a Mac, click on the Apple menu and select About This Mac. In the dialog box that appears, and click More Info... If you need assistance please contact the author of this document. Contact information is at the end.

8 Processor Intel 64-bit multi-core processor. (Intel Core i5 or Core i7.) Memory 4GB is the minimum, but at least 8 GB is highly recommended. 16GB is ideal. Storage A Solid-State Device (SSD) for mass storage is highly recommended, 256 GB or more. Hard drives are too slow. Graphics Processor NVIDIA GeForce graphics processor or Intel HD Graphics 6000 or better. Must be OpenGL 2.0-capable. All new Apple notebooks have Intel Iris Pro graphics. The high-end 15-inch model also has an NVIDIA graphics processor. If you buy an older notebook, the 15-inch model has better graphics. Display 13 or 15-inch display recommended. Minimum resolution should be 1440 x 900 pixels for Adobe After Effects. Other Adobe applications need a minimum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Operating System OS X "El Capitan" or later. New systems ship with macos High Sierra (10.13.) OS X or later is needed for Adobe Creative Cloud Is there someone I can call for more information? Please call Jim Ferr at: extension Or Jim at: jim.ferr@durhamcollege.ca