Student Computer Hardware/Software Recommendations

Although Eastern provides open and departmental computer labs, you may want to have your own personal computer in your room. If you plan on purchasing a computer, or if you decide to replace an existing one, we have defined some guidelines to provide a computer system with a useful life of two to four years. Appropriate upgrades of your computer may be required to meet your specific needs for speed and functionality. The most common types of upgrade involve adding memory (RAM) or installing a faster processor. Information Technology Services is committed to providing technical support to students that use either the Macintosh or Windows platforms with the following specifications.

The following recommended specifications for a personal computer will help you decide what kind of system to bring to campus. Although these specifications will meet the needs of the average computer user, they should be considered minimum requirements.  Faster processors, more memory, larger disk drives, and multimedia capabilities can provide added benefits.

Minimum Recommended Specifications For Desktop PC

• Processor: 2 GHz or better
• Screen: Your preference
• Video: Directx 9 Capable 3D Video
• Memory: 1GB or more. 2GB RAM for Machines With Windows Vista
• Hard Disk Drive: 80 GB or better
• Floppy Drive: None (We recommend students purchase a 128MB or larger USB Flash Drive)
• Optical Drive: DVD Burner or DVD Combo
• Operation System: Microsoft Windows Vista / Microsoft Windows XP Pro / Mac OSX / Kubuntu Linux
• Antivirus Software: All on-campus students receive free Norton Antivirus software for their personal machines.
• Network Adapter: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
• Wireless Networking: Integrated 802.11g

All other features are optional and at the student's discretion.

Minimum Recommended Specifications For Laptop PC

• Processor: 1.6 GHz or better
• Screen: Your preference
• Video: Directx 9 Capable 3D Video
• Memory: 1 GB or more. 2GB RAM for Machines With Windows Vista
• Hard Disk Drive: 80 GB or better
• Floppy Drive: None (We recommend students purchase a 128MB or larger USB Flash Drive)
• Optical Drive: DVD Burner or DVD Combo
• Operation System: Microsoft Windows Vista / Microsoft Windows XP Pro / Mac OSX / Kubuntu Linux
• Antivirus Software: All on-campus students receive free Norton Antivirus software for their personal machines.
• Network Adapter: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet
• Wireless Networking: Integrated 802.11g

All other features are optional and at the student's discretion.

Considerations When Looking At A Warranty For PC or Laptop

A three- or four-year total protection plan limited warranty that covers parts/labor/technical support with three-year or four-year accidental damage protection. Review the Web site of computer vendor to determine the limitation to the coverage.

Example of what the total protection plan might cover:

• 7x24x365 Technical Support from the computer vendor, ensuring a technical expert is available when you need them.
• Parts and labor warranty, providing assurance that manufacturing defects will be repaired at no additional costs to you.
• Next business day support for replacement parts.
• If the computer is mailed to vendor for repairs, the repaired computer will be returned to consumer in one to two business days.
• Accidental damage protection extends the warranty to cover accidental damage such as liquid spills, drops, power surges, or cracked LCD/monitor.

Software Packages Recommended For A Personal Computer

Whatever system you decide to use on campus, your computer will need the capability of working with files for word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, web browser, file transfer, e-mail, and calendar programs. The following software packages provide these essential capabilities. A new computer gives some assurance of not becoming obsolete in a year or two and should serve until you graduate. If you already have a computer, the following information will allow you to judge whether your present system can meet your current needs.