Buying a Computer or Bringing a Computer from Home

Recommended Configurations for New Computers

The following system configurations are recommended by CSSD to maximize access and support to the University network:

Recommended PC Desktop Configurations
High Performance Mid-Range Economical

Pentium 4 3.6 GHz processor

1024 MB RDRAM

160 GB Serial ATA Hard Drive

19" monitor or LCD display

48x/24x/48x CD-RW drive

DVD-RAM/DVD-R drive

Pentium 4 3.2 GHz processor

1024 MB DDR

120 GB Serial ATA Hard Drive

19" monitor

48x/12x/48x CD-RW drive

DVD ROM drive

Pentium 4 2.8 GHz processor

512 MB memory

80 GB disk drive

17" monitor

48x/12x/48x DVD/CD-RW drive

 

Recommended PC Notebook Configurations
High Performance Mid-Range Economical

Pentium 4 3.2 GHz processor

1024 MB memory

60 GB disk drive

15" display

24x CD-RW/DVD combo

Intel Pentium M 755

768 MB memory

60 GB disk drive

15" display

24x CD-RW/DVD combo

Intel Pentium M 725

512 MB memory

40 GB disk drive

15" display

8x DVD ROM

 

Recommended Macintosh Desktop Configurations: All running OS X
High Performance Mid-Range Economical

Dual 2.5GHz G5

1GB RAM

250 GB hard drive

ATI 9600 128MB video card

SuperDrive

20" Apple Cinema Display

3 yr. AppleCare Protection Plan

Dual 1.8 GHz G5

512MB RAM

160 GB hard drive

NVIDIA 5200 64MB video

SuperDrive

17" Apple Studio Display

3 yr. AppleCare Protection Plan

Apple eMac 1.25 GHz G4

256MB RAM

80 GB hard drive

SuperDrive

3 yr. AppleCare Protection Plan

 

Recommended Macintosh Notebook Configurations: All running OS X
High Performance Mid-Range Economical

PowerBook G4 17"

1.5 GHz G4

1GB RAM

80GB hard drive

SuperDrive

128MB video RAM

AirPort Extreme

3 yr. AppleCare Protection Plan

PowerBook G4 15.2"

1.5 GHz G4

512MB RAM

80GB hard drive

SuperDrive

64MB video RAM

AirPort Extreme

3 yr. AppleCare Protection Plan

iBook 14" 1GHz G4

256MB RAM

40GB hard drive

Combo Drive

32MB video RAM

3 yr. AppleCare Protection Plan

 

Minimum Support Requirements for Existing Computers

Today's most popular software packages require increasingly larger hardware resources to run satisfactorily. To ensure that users are satisfied with the performance of their network connection, CSSD establishes minimum requirements each year for computer hardware and operating systems. Users who fail to meet CSSD's minimum requirements may still connect to the network but are not guaranteed full support. Upgrading your computer may be a viable way to meet the minimum requirements and receive support.

Faculty wishing to use existing computer systems with the Faculty Computing Program should ensure that the system meets the minimum configuration guidelines for this program.

PC Configurations:

Macintosh Configurations: