How to Follow System Requirements for Mac OS X Leopard

The Macintosh operating system OS X 10.5 Leopard has received rave reviews, and many Mac users are rushing to install the system on their computers. Certain system requirements are required to install Leopard and operate many of the programs it includes. Learn the requirements here.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Make sure your Mac computer uses an Intel or PowerPC (G5 or G4) processor with a speed of at least 867 megahertz. An Intel processor is recommended, as some applications like iChat Backdrop effects will need it.

2. Have at least 9 gigabytes of open hard disk space and 512 megabytes of RAM. You will also need a DVD drive to read the Leopard installation disk.

3. See that your processor's speed is at least 1.6 gigahertz for your DVD player to work properly. This has to do with de-interlacing.

4. Purchase a backup hard drive in order to use Time Machine. The application's purpose is copying all your files to the backup drive to save them

5. Get a camera for Photo Booth and iChat--an iSight or USB video-class camera, or a FireWire DV camcorder. You'll also need an Intel or PowerPC G5 processor--Intel Core Duo or faster for the Backdrop effects.

6. Check to see that your Internet connection speed is at least 128 kilobytes per second for video chats and screen sharing in iChat. You can get by with 56 KBPS for audio chats but will still need a microphone.

Tips & Warnings

• While 512 megabytes of RAM are needed for installation, it's a good idea to have at least another full gigabyte for development.
• If you're using the DV camcorder for Photo Booth and iChat, it will need fixed focus, exposure and white balance features.