Students must provide their own computer for classes at NSS and having the right computer and other equipment will make a difference in your web development bootcamp experience.
Looking for hardware requirements for another program you can find them here: Analytics & Data Science or Software Engineering
Computers
First, a couple of overall thoughts on computers.
- If you are in a remote cohort, you can use a desktop computer or a laptop. If you are in an in-person cohort, you will need a laptop.
- You do not need a new computer for NSS - many machines manufactured since 2015 will work just fine although some may benefit from upgrades (in particular upgrades to RAM).
- Even if you are going to acquire a computer it need not be a brand-new machine. Many students acquire used or refurbished machines.
- You can use either a Mac or Windows computer that meets our requirements as outlined below.
- You may NOT use a Chromebook, tablet (such as an iPad), a phone, or any other device that is not listed. The reason for this requirement is simple. The software we will use in the course will not run on devices other than those listed. Other devices simply will not work.
You'll find more specific requirements for computer (memory, hard drive, cpu, and operating system) for each program below.
C# Web Development Cohorts
Windows Computer for C#
It is recommended that you get a computer with the Windows operating system if you are enrolled in a C# cohort. Minimum specs are as follows.
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Memory 8GB minimum
16GB preferred
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Hard Drive 512GB minimum |
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CPU Intel i5 minimum
Intel i7 preferred
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Operating System Windows 10 |
Mac Computer for C#
If you are planning to buy a new computer for the course and are planning to take a C# bootcamp, at the present time, we DO NOT recommend that you purchase a new Mac computer that uses the Apple M1 processor chip, but rather acquire a Windows computer or a Macbook Pro laptop with an Intel chipset. Apple is currently transitioning the processor chips in their laptops from Intel to a proprietary Apple chip. There have been some software compatibility issues noted with the new Apple chips.
If you already own a Mac and want to use it for the course, it must meet the following, minimum specifications.
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Memory 16GB minimum
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Hard Drive 512GB minimum |
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CPU Intel i5 minimum
Intel i7 preferred
(M1 NOT RECOMMENDED)
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Operating System High Sierra or later |
If your Mac does not meet these minimum requirements, then we urge you to get a new or refurbished computer with Windows installed. Employers will expect that you have familiarity with the Windows operating system.
Python Web Development Cohorts
Mac Computer for Python
It is recommended to have a Mac if you are in a Python cohort.
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Memory 8GB minimum
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Hard Drive 256GB minimum |
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CPU Intel i5 minimum
Intel i7 preferred
M1 (Python cohorts only)
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Operating System High Sierra or later |
Windows Computer for Python
The Windows operating system will easily work for a Python cohort, but setup and configuration are more difficult.
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Memory 8GB minimum
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Hard Drive 256GB minimum |
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CPU Intel i5 minimum
Intel i7 preferred
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Operating System Windows 10 |
Additional Required Equipment
Your laptop should include a microphone, speakers, and a webcam that are compatible with Zoom. If you're using a laptop or a desktop computer where these are not built-in, you will need to purchase separate hardware.
Backup Drive
You will be learning amazing things during your time at NSS. However, with great power comes responsibility. You will probably be pushing your computer harder than you ever had before. You may also spill water or coffee on your computer while in class. You may drop your computer, or drop something on it. You may inadvertently run a command that permanently deletes very important files that make your operating system work.
Because of these common issues that students have, we strongly urge you to buy a backup drive for your computer to ensure that you don’t lose the investment you’ve made in your computer and your time at NSS. A 500 GB to 1 TB external drive is more than enough for most people, but the actual size will depend upon how much data you have to backup. Additionally we recommend using backup software to ensure that your work is automatically backed up to this drive on a regular basis. Using the built-in utilities is a great place to start (e.g. Time Machine for Mac, or Backup and Restore for Windows).
Recommended Additional Hardware
These items are not critical for success in our programs, but many students find them convenient to have.
- Second monitor (for remote students)
- External keyboard
- External mouse
- Headphones
Video Conferencing (for remote students)
In addition to meeting the hardware requirements for your computer you must have a high speed Internet connection capable of supporting video conferencing software. We strongly recommend joining a Zoom test meeting to verify that your connection and hardware meet this requirement. While either headphones or speakers are sufficient for this course, use of headphones is highly encouraged if you join from an environment with a lot of background noise.
Administrator Rights
You must have administrator privileges on your computer. This means you should be able to install, uninstall, and configure software, and you should be able to make changes to the computer's operating system settings.
Know Your Computer
Whatever computer and operating system you use, it is your responsibility to understand how to use the system. This includes installing software, running applications, navigating files and folders, and changing system settings.
Still have questions? Drop a comment or connect with us through our contact page.
