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Minimum memory specifications must be no lower than 16GB and the processor must be no lower than an Apple M1 M2 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 M2 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 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 PC users with higher video demands to run Adobe products, video production, or other higher GPU simulation functions, Alienware and Lenovo machines should be reasonably considered as a viable alternativealternatives. There was a time when the XPS line represented higher end Dell performance but it appears those days have passed.
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In recent years, quality of laptops have been hit or miss with more catastrophic failures early in the laptop's lifespan. This decrease in reliability was accompanied by many companies decreasing the length of the standard warranty from a year to 30 days. 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 to safe guard your data.
From 2021-2023, SHASS IT observed a higher than usual hardware failure rate in computer equipment, including equipment that arrived new in box that wouldn't turn on. We were observing some new laptops with component failures after 1 or 2 years. So far in 2024, the product lines appear to be better made and with significantly fewer reports of outright failures.
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