Purchasing a Computer

The Student Computer Initiative offers several venues from which to purchase computers at discounted educational prices.

Before purchasing a computer, please review the recommended system configurations on this page.

Dell Computers

The Dell purchasing program offers discounted educational prices.

5% discount on consumer pricing for Dell Inspiron and Dimension systems with one year warranty;
10% discount on consumer pricing for Dell Inspiron and Dimension systems with three year warranty
Ability to leverage all of the consumer promotions (i.e. memory upgrades, shipping, etc.)

Visit the CUA page at Dell.com

Lenovo Computers

Lenovo 3000 Series and Thinkpad notebooks may be purchased at educational prices through the CUA Bookstore located in the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center.

CUA Bookstore Lenovo Flyer (3.7 MB)

Apple Computers

Apple computers may be purchased at educational prices through the CUA Bookstore located in the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center.

CUA Bookstore Apple Flyer (148 KB)

CUA Bookstore AppleCare Flyer (300 KB)

Recommended System Configurations

Minimum Recommendations for Microsoft Windows Computers

Architecture students - please click here for specific requirements.

Despite the numerous campus computer labs available for student use, many students enjoy the privacy and convenience of having their own machine available at home or in their dorm room. If you will be living on campus, please be sure that your computer is equipped with a 10/100 Ethernet card. Some students have found that flat panel monitors or notebook computers save desk space in the dorms on campus, and many students find having their own printer enhances their research and productivity. Any of the printers available through the SCI program are likely to serve your needs.

Desktop. An example of a good mid-level desktop computer is one that has:

Processor: Intel® Core 2 Duo E6300 (1.86GHz)
Memory: 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM
Video Card: 128MB PCI Express x16
Hard Drive: 160GB SATA 3.0Gb/s7200 RPM
Optical Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW)
Display: 17 inch flat panel screen with minimum 1024x768 resolution
Communications: internal 10/100 Ethernet LAN card
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business or Ultimate; or Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2
Productivity Software: Microsoft® Office® Home and Student 2007
Other Software: Enhanced software for DVD writer

Notebook. Students can purchase a low-end notebook with the following specifications:

Processor: Intel® Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.66GHz)
Display: 15.4 inch WXGA LCD Panel
Memory: 1 GB shared DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive: 80GB Hard Drive
Optical Drive: 24x CD burner/DVD combo drive
Communications: integrated 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Wireless: integrated wireless networking card (802.11b/g)
USB Ports: four USB 2.0
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business or Ultimate; or Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2
Productivity Software: Microsoft® Office® Home and Student 2007

If, however, you are looking for more a more powerful notebook, or for those students who hope to make their notebook last for their entire four year track, we recommend that you include the following options:

fast Intel® Core 2 Duo processor 2.0Ghz or higher
15.4 inch wide-aspect display: WXGA, WSXGA+ and WUXGA
2 GB DDR2 SDRAM memory (more is better)
80GB 7200 rpm hard drive
8x CD/DVD writer (DVD+/-RW)
integrated IEEE 1394 (Firewire® compatible) port
integrated dual band wireless antennae supporting 802.11b/g and Bluetooth®
128MB or 256MB ATI® or NVIDIA® video card
8- or 9-cell extended life additional battery
enhanced software for DVD writer
four-year extended warranty with accidental damage coverage

Minimum Recommendations for Apple Computers

Desktop. We recommend at least an Apple® iMac® 17 inch 1.83GHz Intel® Core 2 Duo with 1 GB memory and 160GB SATA hard drive running Mac OS™ X 10.4 Tiger™, with AppleCare® Protection Plan.

Notebook. We recommend at least an Apple® MacBook™ 13 inch 1.83GHz Intel® Core™ 2 Duo with 1 GB memory and 60GB 5400 rpm hard driverunning Mac OS™ X 10.4 Tiger™, with AppleCare® Protection Plan.

For students who hope to make their Apple computer last for their entire four year track, we recommend that you include at least 2 GB memory.