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Minimum Hardware Standards

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The Technology Support Center recommends the replacement of campus computers between 4-5 years based on type and usage. Replacing computers within these life-cycles will ensure they remain under warranty and provide maximum uptime. See below for specific recommendations:

  • Desktop/Workstations: 5 years
  • Laptops: 4 years
  • Mobile devices/tablets: 4 years

For computers that fall outside of the recommended life-cycle, parts may become harder to source and the chances for hardware failures and extended outages increase. The below tables represent our minimum hardware standards for campus computers.

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5
Memory 8GB RAM
Hard Drive 250GB storage capacity1
Desktop Networking Integrated 100/1000 Ethernet Port
Laptop Networking Wireless 802.11n or newer
Operating System Windows 10 or newer

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5
Memory 8GB RAM
Hard Drive 250GB storage capacity1
Desktop Networking Integrated 100/1000 Ethernet Port
Laptop Networking Wireless 802.11n or newer
Operating System macOS 11 (Big Sur) or newer2

Mobile devices/tablets should be capable of running the latest version of their operating system. This ensures they are able to receive security updates and will be able to run current versions of applications.

Any computer that falls below the minimum recommendations set forth in the above tables or are older than six year should not be considered a suitable candidate for the following practices:

  • Hardware Upgrade
  • Hardware Repair
  • Machine Transfer or "Re-purposing"

Any computer that falls below the minimum recommendations above and are older than 8 years should be removed from the network and retired. Support for computers of this age is very limited.

Notes:

1Hard drive size is ultimately contingent upon application/data size and usage requirements.
2Apple supports current OS + two previous versions. This is subject to change at Apple’s discretion. Operating systems not supported should be upgraded or removed from the network.