| UCSF School of Dentistry Computer Requirements for 2007-2008
A laptop computer is required for your dental education. The School of Dentistry has a Web-based component for each class that requires the use of a computer. It is required that your computer meet the listed specifications and have all required software.
Recommended Computer Specifications
The following computer hardware requirements have been established as the minimum required to function within the information technology framework of the dental curriculum. We strongly urge you to read the specifications required for computer hardware as described by the School of Dentistry. Your computer will have sufficient capacity to serve you through your dental education should it match these requirements.
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ITEM
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SPECIFICATON
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Operating System
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Windows XP (SP2), Windows Vista, or Mac OS X |
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Processor Speed
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No specification. In the past, processor speeds were accurate indicators of a computer's processing power, but today that is no longer the case. Use the other specifications below to guide your decisions. |
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RAM
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1.5 GB or more |
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Hard drive
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No specification. For new computer purchases, we recommend that you buy the largest hard drive you can afford. |
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Optical drive
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DVD/CD-RW combo |
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Display
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14" or larger |
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Network connectivity
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Wireless 802.11g or 802.11n |
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Printer
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Yes. |
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Warranty
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3 years parts and labor with on-site or in-store support. |
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Power management
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High-quality surge protector. A spare battery is recommended. |
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File-transfer media
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1 Gb. Known as a "USB drive", "travel drive" or "thumb drive", file transfer media (such as the SanDisk Cruzer) are highly portable, economical, and useful. Most come with security software that allows drive contents to be password-protected and/or encrypted. |
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Laptop security cable
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Yes |
Software Requirements
All dental students entering the Doctor of Dental Surgery program are required to have the following software. Students are able to buy Microsoft Office at substantial eductaional discounts from a number of vendors, including the UCSF Technology Store. All other applications/utilities are available as free downloads.
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ITEM
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DESCRIPTION
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Microsft Office
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Microsoft Office 2003 for Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows Vista, or Microsoft Office 2004 for Macintosh. |
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UCSF School of Dentistry-provided software
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ITEM
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DESCRIPTION
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Anti-virus
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Sophos (available free through UCSF) |
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Adobe Acrobat Reader
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Acrobat Reader (available free from Adobe.com) |
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Browser
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Mozilla Firefox 2.x for Windows or Macintosh, or Apple Safari 2.x for Macintosh |
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Multimedia
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Quicktime 7.x; RealOne Player; Macromedia Shockwave and Flash plug-ins. Be sure to check for updates regularly for optimal security and performance. |
Internet Access
The School of Dentistry specifies that students must be able to access the Internet from home at broadband speeds (DSL/Cable/Satellite/Wi-Fi/T-1), hence subscribing to a broadband Internet Service Provider (ISP) is required.
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