Computer Recommendations
If you are palnning to purchase a new computer, please refer to our recommendations below. We do not recommend any particular computer manufacturer(s). However, Dell has agreed to offer our students a discount on their products. To take advantage of this discount, use the Dell link provided at the bottom of this page.
Computer Purchase Recommendations:
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Buy a computer from a well-known manufacturer | |
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Intel Processor (2 GHz Pentium 4 or better) | |
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100GB or greater hard drive | |
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1GB RAM or greater | |
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DVD+-RW/CD-RW | |
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Thumb Drive/USB Flash Drive 1GB or greater
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Ethernet 10/100 network interface card | |
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Microsoft Windows XP or higher Operating System | |
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Microsoft Office 2007 Professional You may purchase this for $67.50 under the Microsoft Student Select program by clicking here (VUnetID required) | |
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Antivirus software You may download McAfee VirusScan's antivirus software for FREE by clicking here (VUnetID required) | |
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Laptop buyers: Wireless network card (802.11b, 802.11a/b or 802.11a/b/g) | |
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Older Macintosh computers are not recommended, but if you have one, it should have at least OS X, 512 MB RAM, 256 MB virtual memory, G4 processor, fast Internet connection, Web Browser: Firefox 3.x+. (Macintosh exception: Users with newer Intel-based Macintosh computers OS X 4+ should also acquire and install Parallels and Windows for equivalent access to all resources. Remember to install and run separate virus protection and Windows updates on a frequent schedule just as if you owned a non-Apple PC.) |
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Onsite (next day) Service agreement Vanderbilt's Network Computing Systems (NCS) is an on-campus service center that can perform warranty repairs on Dell, Compaq and Hewlett-Packard computers. | |
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"Complete care" coverage This covers accidental damage from drops, spills, etc. and is especially useful for laptops. At VUSN, we purchase this type of coverage for all of our laptop computers. |
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Dell |