When purchasing a computer to use for teletherapy, there are a few things to consider.
Mac vs. PC? The choice of Mac vs. PC is a personal preference. Both will work equally well for teletherapy.
Choosing a Mac:
If you’re purchasing a Mac, it’s pretty simple because there are limited options. You can choose any Mac currently offered by Apple. The base models will be more than adequate. Choosing an upgraded Mac will get you more features but will not materially affect your abilities to perform teletherapy.
Choosing a PC:
Selecting a PC is a bit more confusing because of the large
- Processing Speed: To help keep things simple, choose a computer that has at least 2 GHz processing speed or higher. Ideally an Intel processor. Select the most recent processor version.
- Memory (RAM): You can think of RAM as short term memory. RAM is a very important factor in your computer’s overall performance. The more RAM the better. Choose a computer with a minimum of 8 GB of RAM.
- Hard Drive: Another material factor in performance is the type of hard drive. When purchasing a computer (or upgrading an older one), choose one with a Solid State Hard Drive (also referred to as an SSD). SSD hard drives in computers will be much smaller (usually starting at 128 GB) than traditional hard drives. Although it sounds small, it will be enough for your everyday use. If you need more storage for videos and photos, external hard drives are pretty cheap. I would not purchase a computer without an SSD.
Other PC Computer Features: Other PC features like monitor size, keyboard layout, brand, etc. are just preference. Choose whatever you like as long as the 3 main features are satisfied.
Other Things to Think About:
Here are a few other things to consider.
- Remove “bloatware”: Did you know the purchase price on most PC’s is subsidized by software companies? These companies pay the manufacturer to pre-install their software on the computer. This pre-installed software also referred to as “bloatware”, slows down your computer. Removing this software will speed up your computer. This is usually the first thing that I do when I get a new PC.
- Monitor Size: We recommend large monitors 27 inches or larger are great! However, when starting out I used a 13-inch monitor (laptop) and it was ok. If you are using a laptop, I recommend purchasing a monitor and hooking it up to your laptop.
- Web Camera: We recommend getting a good web camera. They are relatively inexpensive. We recommend the Logitech HD Pro C920 because of its quality and hardware video processing. If you want to learn more, here is a link to the article: https://telehealthspecialists.com/best-overall-web-camera-for-teletherapy/
Let us know if you have any questions.
