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Hardware Recommendations

Recommended Hardware

Are you considering buying a new computer or printer? Our recommendations will help you select a product that will give good service for at least three years, and that you can use with all recommended software.

Advantages of selecting computers and printers that DTS recommends include:

  • The recommended configurations have been developed by experts in DTS, working with vendor experts, to offer the best available combination of performance, reliability, price and maintainability.
  • They are guaranteed to work well with all recommended software.
  • DTS staff can quickly install a standard, tested image on your new recommended Dell computer. The image includes all fully-supported software and all the settings needed to help you use your new computer to best effect on the West campus right away.
  • DTS staff support for recommended computers and printers is both quicker and more expert than it is for unsupported products.
  • DTS staff provide certified on-site warranty service for recommended computers that are owned by units at ASU. If you buy something else, you will need to obtain warranty service elsewhere.

Configurations

DTS maintains recommendations for five different basic configurations, each of which is customizable. These five configurations are available for both the Macintosh and the Windows platforms.

Entry-Level Desktop

Choose the Entry-Level Desktop if you use and will continue to use a limited repertoire of software. The entry-level desktop emphasizes low price over performance, upgradeability, and energy-saving features.

Standard Desktop

Choose the Standard Desktop for most office and instructional uses. The Standard Desktop is a full-featured configuration that can effectively handle all but the most intensive computing tasks.

Special Use desktop

Select the Special Use Desktop if you work with large data bases, multimedia files or compute-intensive processes. This configuration typically has a faster processor, higher-end graphics and monitor, and more disk space than the Standard Desktop has.

Travel laptop

Select the Travel Laptop if you need a very light laptop to take with you when you travel. The Travel Laptop has a configuration sufficient to use for making presentations and processing e-mail, but does not typically have the memory, disk space, and internal devices that you use in an everyday computer.

Office notebook

Choose the Office Notebook if you want to use the same computer regularly at home and at the office. The Office Notebook is considerably heavier than the Travel Laptop, because it has more internal devices. You may want to select a docking station or port replicator to make it convenient to use peripherals like a full-size monitor and keyboard when you use your notebook in the office.

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