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Those areas on the 3 year hardware renewal cycle should consult MIT IS&T's recommended computer hardware for the list of acceptable desktop and laptop machines. For most users, the recommended spec across the board is a minimum memory configuration of 16GB with an M1 M2 or Intel i5 or higher processor. This is a good starting point for creating specs for new machines based on user needs. For users who need to use Adobe apps for graphics or video production, an Apple M1 M2 Pro/Max or , Intel i7 processor, or higher should be considered. Storage capacity will be determined by the current users' HD storage usage. Bear in mind that creative users who work in communications, multimedia, visual arts, music, or desktop or web publishing will generally need more storage and power than administrative users who just use Microsoft Office and administrative apps and tools.
4-5 year cycle
For those areas on a 4-5 year hardware renewal schedule and not the usual 3 year, please be aware that you must purchase a mid to high end model machine to ensure the computer has enough power and resource to run newer software at a minimally acceptable performance level 4-5 years down the line.
Minimum memory specifications must be no lower than 16GB and the processor must be no lower than an Apple M1 or Intel i5. For users that require Adobe Creative Suite or for users doing video or photo editing or web development that takes up at least a quarter of their time, the minimum memory should not be lower than 32GB and the processor must be no lower than an Apple M1 Pro or Intel i7. For users who will be using their machines for video or multimedia development more than half the time, either the higher end Apple M1 Pro, M1 Max, M2 or Intel i9 processors may be worth consideration. We will update these requirements annually as the computer technologies advance.
If you are thinking Dell PC for business machines with no low to medium video demand, please try to stay within the Dell Latitude, Optiplex, or Precision lines or Lenovo Thinkpads. Dell drops available spare parts for all other models once the maximum warranty period has expired. Of particular note Inspiron notebook spare parts are not available 1 year after they're sold once their warranty expires. Once these laptops die, there is no way to repair them if someone doesn't already have the spare parts.
For Dell PC users with higher video demands to run Adobe products, video production, or other higher GPU simulation functions, both Dell XPS Alienware and Alienware Lenovo machines may should be reasonably considered as a viable alternative. There was a time when the XPS line represented higher end Dell performance but it appears those days have passed.
Quality
Manufacturers in In recent years have started to realize that computers are being cycled out every 3 years as technology progresses. As a result they are no longer making their devices last more than 3 years. To this end they are making their machines less upgradeable with more plastic and lower quality components. They are also soldered past user upgradeable parts like Hard Drives and memory modules to the motherboards, quality of laptops have been hit or miss. The Covid Pandemic has also brought about levels of greedflation as prices have gone up due to rarity of parts but have not necessarily come back down to pre-Pandemic levels after the parts are plentiful again. Though most machines will last 3 years, users should always ALWAYS purchase warranties for their products for at least 3 years if possible and use Dropbox and/or backup programs like Time Machine on Mac, Windows backup on PC, or Crashplan internet cloud backup.
Apple and Dell warranties
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Please be aware the SHASS IT Support Team does not repair machines or recover data. We are not authorized Apple, Dell, or Lenovo technicians.
IS&T is currently in the process of building it's new Hardware Repair Services Center which is now eagerly anticipated to open sometime in Spring Semester 2025.
Lenovo
Going forwardAt the present time, Lenovo must be contacted directly for service issues and they will send a box for return to depot.
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Please be aware that back in 2015 we did not recommend the Macbook Air as a primary laptop machine due to its historically reported weak WiFi performance and limited number of ports. It was, however, an acceptable second laptop for travel as long as the user understands its limitations and potential connectivity drawbacks. We had also received a significant number of reports for the MacBook Air being unable to connect to the WiFi network at Heathrow Airport outside of London for example. For the light weight primary Apple laptop solution, we continue to recommend the current 13" Macbook Pro with Retina Display. In 2019, the new MacBook Air is a considerably more powerful and flexible machine than it was in 2015 and the newest more powerful 2022 Apple Silicon M processor MacBook Air is continuing to raise the bar on its predecessors. Be aware of its limits and pay attention to the hard drive size. Make sure you get a hard drive with enough storage to fit all your data from your old laptop.
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When you get a new computer, don't forget to also get a new external HD for your Time Machine or Windows Backups. Your data is the most important part of your computer and the life span of a HD used for backup is the same as the life of your computer. So if you replace the computer, replace the backup drive as well. Alternatively, users should also be using Dropbox to store their files, and also consider using Code42's Crashplan Cloud backup solution available from IS&T to help save guard their data.