Recommended Faculty/Staff/Institutional Computers

The University of Nevada, Reno, has negotiated special volume discounts with Dell and Apple. Because of these savings, we recommend that you consider purchasing a Dell or Apple laptop or desktop computer that meets the specifications below, depending on what is needed for your college or department.

Departmental Purchases

  • Call the Purchasing Department for current quotes and assistance.
  • Prices posted are subject to change.
  • If you have a 4-year-old+ computer, you may qualify for the PC & Laptop Replacement Program.
  • For those who don't qualify for PC replacement, the Support Center has inexpensive refurbished PCs for $60. See the PC Refurbishment Program.
  • We recomend Microsoft Windows XP pro operating system. Campus is not yet supporting the Windows Vista operating system.

Specifications for Departmental Purchases

  Dell Apple
Hardware Laptop: Dell Latitude
Desktop: Dell OptiPlex 755 		Laptop: MacBook or MacBook Pro
Desktop: Mac mini, iMac, or Mac Pro
Processor
Laptop: Pentium Duo Core, 1.2 GHz +
Desktop: Pentium Duo Core, 2.13 GHz or AMD 3800+ 		Laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo
Desktop: Intel Core Duo (Mac mini); Intel Core 2 Duo (Imac); Dual-Core Intel Xeon (Mac Pro)
Wireless
Networking * 		Laptop: 802.11g wireless card Airport Extreme wireless card
Memory
(RAM)		 1-GB minimum, 2 GB+ recommended
Hard Drive 80-GB minimum, 250 recommended
Video Card Video card with onboard 128 Mb Ram minimum - Recomended onboard 256 Mb for Windows Vista ready (Windows Vista campus support is anticipated winter of 2007)
OS Windows XP Professional (SP2)
 Apple OS X
Antivirus
Software		 University-provided Symantec® AntiVirus at no cost to faculty, staff.
Productivity
Software
Printers If black-and-white printing is acceptable, a personal laser jet printer may be more cost effective over a two-year period.

Your department may already have networked printing available.


* Note: Wireless networks are available, but are not a substitute for a wired network connection.

Sample Computer Systems: Departmental and Personal Purchases (PDFs)

Note: The prices listed are for comparison purposes only. Prices are subject to change without notice, and will vary for personal or institutional pricing.

 
Dell (updated 6/07) Apple (updated 6/07)
Desktop
  • Low (Mac mini + 17” NEC flat- panel monitor)pdf
  • Mid (20” iMac)pdf
  • High (Mac Pro + 20” Apple Cinema Display)pdf
Laptop

 

Personal Purchases

  • For personal purchases only, the Computer Den in the ASUN Bookstore, is the University's licensed reseller for hardware and software. They have special educational discounts with vendors.
  • To help you choose the right computer, we have included sample systems for various price ranges, laptop portability requirements, and performance levels.

Notes:

  • Dell Purchasers: If you are buying a Windows operating system, please order Windows XP-SP2, not the 64-bit Microsoft or Vista operating systems, without consulting with the Desktop Services or your System Administrator. The 64-bit OS is not compatible with some 32-bit software programs, and Vista is not yet supported.
  • Faculty/staff: Contact the Help Desk or Desktop Services for further purchasing advice.
  • Repairs: The Information Technology Division and the Help Desk do not provide hardware repair services on personally owned computers. Warranty and non-warranty service is available from Desktop Services for University-owned equipment for Dell, Lenovo (IBM), and Apple products.