Software/Hardware Purchasing
Our Recommended Computer Specifications
- Attention:
ITS no longer supports Microsoft Windows 2000 and lower, Mac OS 10.3 and lower, and/or Office XP (PC) and X (Macintosh).
Currently, ITS recommends that faculty, staff and students request the following specifications when buying new personal computers:
When ordering from the HP store ITS recommends purchasing from the EliteBook series for Laptops and from the DC series for Desktops
When ordering from the Dell store ITS recommends purchasing from the Latitude E series for Laptops and from the Optiplex series for Desktops
- Processor - dual core 2.4 GHz
- RAM - 2 Gigabytes
- Hard Drive - 80 Gigabytes
- Optical Drive - DVD+/-RW drive
- Graphics Card - any with DVI support - desktop only
- Wireless (for laptops) - 802.11abg
- Monitor - 19" LCD with DVI support - desktop only
- Operating System - Windows Vista with Service Pack 2, Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3
- Warranty - 3 year warranty - desktop only
- Warranty - 4 year warranty with accidental damage protection - laptop only
- Please note: The extended warranties listed above must be added at the enhancement page when selecting your hardware for purchase.
Minimum Specifications
The current minimum computer specifications to ensure the ability to run the basic software most end users operate is:
- Processor - 2 GHz
- RAM - 1 GB
- Hard Drive - 60 GB
- Optical Drive - CD-RW
- Wireless (for laptops) - 802.11b
- Monitor - 19" LCD - desktop only
- Operating System -Windows XP Home with Service Pack 3 or Apple OS X 10.4.11
Other Specifications
The majority of Clark’s computing resources and backend systems are built on the Windows platform. Limited support is available for Apple’s OS X operating system, but we currently do not provide support for the Windows operating system on an Apple computer. Since the choice between an Apple and a Windows system is usually a personal preference, we strongly recommend that you come to campus with a Windows computer - especially if you would like to use Clark ITS for the majority of your support. If you are coming to Clark with a particular program of study in mind, you may want to check with your academic department to see if they have a preferred computing platform.