Processor
Pentium III or higher. Although a standard Pentium processor is sufficient, choosing a Pentium III or higher will significantly increase your computer's performance. Most new computers will come with processing speeds in the range of 400 MHz to 533 MHz.

Memory
(RAM) 128 Megabytes (MB). Your computer will most likely have email, Internet, and a variety of popular software programs. To get the most from these various applications, you should have at least 128 MB of RAM. (As the price of computer memory continues to decline, upgrading to 256 MB is a very wise investment).

Hard Disk
40 Gigabyte (GB) or larger. Popular software packages require a great deal of disk space, and a 40 GB hard drive should be the minimum.

Monitor
15" SVGA color. As with a television, computer monitors are measured by their diagonal width. The larger the size, the more viewing area you have (and the easier it is on your eyes). 15" monitors are the minimum; a 17" monitor can be purchased for approx. $250-300 more, and is well worth the extra money.

CD-ROM
24 speed or higher. Some courses require the use of CD-ROM's to access resource materials. In addition, many textbook publishers offer supplemental material that is available in CD-ROM format.

Graphics
Memory 2MB RAM on the Video Card. By upgrading to a 4MB video card, you will see a noticeable difference in the speed at which web pages refresh. This is a nice feature, but a 2 MB will be adequate.

Modem
56K Choosing the highest capacity (fastest) modem speed will help make Internet connections more quickly, web pages will refresh more rapidly, and files will download more quickly. Using less than a 56K modem will cause you to experience significant delays in viewing and downloading when using Southwest Tech's web-based course forum.

Software
Microsoft Office XP or Microsoft Office 2003 (Earlier versions are not fully compatible; Microsoft Office Suite contains word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software (PowerPoint). Since this software is provided and used by faculty, it is very important that you use it as well. Instructors may not be able to open, view, or grade assignments if not submitted using these products. Students enrolled in courses through Wisconsin Technical Colleges qualify for special pricing on Microsoft Office of $81. To buy WISC software on the Web, just go to the site listed below, select your technical college on the left hand side, enter your student ID number, last name, and campus, read and agree to some licensing terms, and fill out the online order form. Pay by credit card and receive your order fast. You can also order and pay by mail. Shipping included. For more information and to place your order: www.wisc.edu/wisc.

Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or higher. Many of the resources your instructor will make available to you will be in "portable document format" (PDF). In order to view these documents, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This is FREE software that you can download from this site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.shtmll

Browser
While there are various browsers available, most users find Internet Explorer the most convenient and easy to use. You will experience problems viewing and accessing our web-based courses if you do not have Internet Explorer 5.0 (or higher). Netscape Communicator 4.5 (or higher) can be used as an alternative.