Guidelines for Computer Purchases
These guidelines are designed to assist students who plan to purchase computers.
Note: Some colleges (Business, Visual & Performing Arts) also provide specific recommendations for laptops.
Browse our minimum purchase recommendations as well as suggested hardware configurations. For more information or questions regarding purchasing technology, please contact the IT Procurement Coordinator, Rob Roy at 508-990-9654 or via email at rob.roy@umassd.edu. Also review UMass Dartmouth's U$ave program for potential savings.
UMass Dartmouth also provides computing facilities accessible to students in locations across the campus.
Apple Desktop
Suggested (Standard): iMac
Operating system: Mac OS X 10.5
Display: 20 inch built-in
Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core Duo
Memory: 2GB 667 MHz RAM - 2x1GB
Video: ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB VRAM memory
Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA drive
Optical Drive(s): SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Wireless: Airport Extreme & Bluetooth 2.0 built-in
Warranty/Service: 90 days
Advanced (Graphic Workstation): MacPro
Operating system: Mac OS X 10.5
Display: Apple Cinema Display (20 inch flat panel)
Processor: Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (8-core)
Memory: 4GB 800 MHz RAM - 2x2GB
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512MB (Two dual-link DVI)
Hard Drive: 320GB Serial ATA – 7200 rpm
Optical Drive: 16x SuperDrive double-layer (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Wireless: N/A
Warranty/Service: 90 days
Apple Notebook
Suggested (Standard): MacBook
Operating system: Mac OS X 10.5
Display: 13.3 inch built-in (widescreen display)
Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core Duo
Memory: 2GB 667 MHz RAM - 2x1GB
Video: Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor with 144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
Hard Drive: 160GB Serial ATA drive - 5400 rpm
Optical Drive: SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Wireless: AirPort Extreme & Bluetooth 2.0 built-in
Warranty/Service: 90 days
Advanced (Graphic Workstation): MacBook Pro
Operating system: Mac OS X 10.5
Display: 15 inch built-in (widescreen display)
Processor: 2.5GHz Intel Core Duo
Memory: 4GB 667 MHz RAM - 2x2GB
Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM
Hard Drive: 200GB Serial ATA drive - 7200 rpm
Optical Drive: SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Wireless: AirPort Extreme & Bluetooth 2.0 built-in
Warranty/Service: 90 days
Windows Desktop
Minimum
Operating System: Windows® XP Professional* (Service Pack 2 & Backup CD)
Display: 17" Flat Panel Display
Processor: Pentium® 4 Processor 630 (3.0 GHz, 2M, 800MHz FSB)
Memory: 1GB (1 DIMM)
Video: 32 MB graphics card
Hard Drive: 80GB 7200rpm
Optical Drive(s): DVD burner and CD player
Warranty/Service: 3-year parts, labor & service on-site; 3-year tech support
Accident Insurance: No
Ports: Standard, including 4+ USB 2.0 ports
Modem: None
Expansion Slots: 2 to 3
Network Adapter: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet adapter
Floppy: Only if very inexpensive or included
Advanced/Preferred
Operating System: Windows® XP Professional* (Service Pack 2 & Backup CD)
Display: 19" Flat Panel Display
Processor: Pentium® 4 Processor 650 (3.4 GHz, 2M, 800MHz FSB) or equivalent Duo Core
Memory: 2GB (2 DIMM)
Video: 128MB graphics card
Hard Drive: 160GB 7200rpm
Optical Drive(s): DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive
Warranty/Service: 3-year parts, labor & service on-site; 3-year tech support
Accident Insurance: No
Ports: Standard, including 4+ USB 2.0 ports
Modem: None
Expansion Slots: 2 to 3
Network Adapter: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet adapter
Floppy: Only if very inexpensive or included
Windows Notebook
Minimum
Operating System: Windows® XP Professional* (Service Pack 2 & Backup CD)
Weight: Personal, varies by model, feature set and screen size
Display: 12" to 15.4"
Processor: Pentium® "M" Processor 750 (1.8 GHz)
Memory: 1GB (1 DIMM)
Port Replicator: Recommended
Resolution: XGA
Video: 32MB video memory
Hard Drive: 60GB 5400rpm Ultra ATA
Optical Drive(s): DVD burner and CD player
Wireless: Integrated 802.11 b/g wireless networking card
Warranty/Service: 3-year parts, labor & service on-site; 3-year tech support
Accident Insurance: 3-Year
Lithium Ion Battery: 4+ hours with AC pack and 1-year warranty
Ports: (2) USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), VGA, Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, and mic jacks
Modem: Increasingly unnecessary
Expansion Slots: (1) Type II PC card slot, Integrated 4-in-1 Memory Card Reader
Network Adapter: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet adapter, 802.11b or 802.11g Wireless
Floppy: Increasingly unnecessary
Preferred
Operating System: Windows® XP Professional* (Service Pack 2 & Backup CD)
Weight: Personal, varies by model, feature set and screen size
Display: 12" to 15.4"
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache)
Memory: 2 GB (2 DIMM)
Port Replicator: Recommended
Resolution: SXGA
Video: 128MB video memory
Hard Drive: 80GB 5400rpm Ultra ATA
Optical Drive(s): DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive
Wireless: Integrated 802.11 a/b/g wireless networking card
Warranty/Service: 3-year parts, labor & service on-site; 3-year tech support
Accident Insurance: 3-Year
Lithium Ion Battery: 4+ hours with AC pack and 1-year warranty
Ports: (2) USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), VGA, Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, and mic jacks
Modem: Increasingly unnecessary
Expansion Slots: (1) Type II PC card slot, Integrated 4-in-1 Memory Card Reader
Network Adapter: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet adapter
Floppy: Increasingly unnecessary
Windows Notebook Tablet PC
Advanced (Classroom Instruction)
Operating System: Windows® XP Prof TABLET Ed* (and Backup CD)
Weight: Personal, varies by model, feature set and screen size
Display: 12" to 15.4"
Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo (2.4 GHz)
Memory: 2GB (2 DIMM)
Port Replicator: Recommended
Resolution: XGA-SXGA
Video: 128MB video memory
Hard Drive:80GB 5400rpm Ultra ATA
Optical Drive(s): DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive
Wireless: Integrated 802.11 a/b/g wireless networking card
Warranty/Service: 3-year parts, labor & service on-site; 3-year tech support
Accident Insurance: 3-Year
Lithium Ion Battery: 4+ hours with AC pack and 1-year warranty
Ports: (2) USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), VGA, Integrated sound and stereo speakers, headphone/speaker jack, and mic jacks
Modem: Increasingly unnecessary
Expansion Slots: (1) Type II PC card slot, Integrated 4-in-1 Memory Card Reader
Network Adapter: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet adapter
Floppy: Increasingly unnecessary
* Please note that as of June 30, 2008, Microsoft may no longer offer Windows XP for purchase. If you cannot purchase Windows XP, select the vendor's preferred operating system for the computer you are purchasing.
