Minimum Recommended System Configurations -November 2010

Summary: This document is directed at providing guidance for systems suitability for faculty and staff university
work. It aids departmental and workgroup computing support staff when recommending the purchase of faculty and staff laptop, desktop, and server computers.

Objectives:

1. take full advantage of the Campus computing and network environment
2. improve interoperability among computing platforms
3. work with campus resources from off campus when possible
4. encourage hardware acquisitions which remain usable for at least four year life cycles.

Note: Minimum for our purposes does not mean marginal. The specifications listed below are for computers that will be quite adequate for most users for at least four years.

• These are general purpose configurations. Research activities often require specialized configurations.
• We make recommendations which represent the minimum configuration which meets the above objectives, but recognize that in some departments other solutions better meet local needs.
• We recommend Windows 7 Professional [10] for university use. "Home" versions are not recommended for use on University equipment. Windows XP and Office 2003 are still supported, but are no longer commercially available. (You can't buy them.) Microsoft's support for Windows XP and Office 2003 will end in April, 2014.
• Some software designed for Windows XP needs upgrading to function under newer versions of Windows. Check with your local computing support office for recommendations. Some older hardware and software may have to be replaced in order to work with current versions of Windows. Most dual-core CPU systems less than three years old and run Windows 7.
• Windows Home editions are not recommended for University systems. Run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.
• Some departments are utilizing thin clients aka virtualized systems. Check with your Computing Support Coordinator.

• Laptop/Notebook computer considerations:
  1. Transfer of information:
     transferring information between your Laptop/Notebook and your UCI networked environment can be as easy as buying a USB flash drive (aka thumb drive, pen drive), or it may require the set-up of the laptop as networked. Preparing your laptop for wireless networking is strongly recommended.
  2. Expand ability:
     Laptop/Notebooks should be expandable - both memory (RAM) and device attachment (slots/ports). Operating systems, applications and external devices tend to demand ever-increasing system resources, so expandability is important to ensure that they remain usable during a three-year life cycle.
  3. Desktop docking and display:
     Sometimes it might be best to purchase a mobile workstation with desktop docking ability. In this case, an inexpensive display might be suitable for the mobile workstation while a large, full-color screen and dock stay in the office. Alternatively, a mini-dock which provides only a subset of additional interface ports may be enough. OIT has some experience with these options and are available to offer advice.

  We try to keep this document up to date, but prices and capabilities change rapidly.
  A desktop PC workstation around $1000 (including monitor) will usually meet the goal of remaining fully usable over a four-year life cycle.

  
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  Hardware Recommendations

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  System Class [1]	Intel Desktop	Intel Notebook	Mac Desktop [10]	Mac Notebook	Servers
  CPU	Core 2 Duo,i3, i5, i7[3][3a] or AMD Phenom II or Athlon II	Core 2 Duo,i3, i5, i7[3][3a] or AMD Phenom II or Athlon II	Core 2 Duo, ,i3, i5, i7[3a]	Core 2 Duo, ,i3, i5, i7 [3a], [9]	Server requirements vary greatly, depending on: application # of users expected lifetime of server uptime requirements future applications Because servers are often expected to serve a large number of clients for several years, expandability is often a key requirement. Check with your software vendor about recommended system configurations, and consult with other users with similar needs before purchasing servers. Also consider storage space (rackmount), power supply/UPS, RAID configuration.
  Memory [4] [4a, b]	2+ GB	2+ GB	2+ GB	2+ GB
  Disk [5]	120 GB or more	120 GB or more	120 GB or more	120 GB or more
  Optical	DVD±RW
  Monitor [6]	19" LCD or larger	[9]	19" LCD or larger	[9]
  Network [7] [8]	10/100/1000 BaseT	10/100/1000 BaseT and wireless ethernet (802.11b/g/n)	10/100/1000 BaseT	10/100/1000 BaseT and wireless ethernet (802.11b/g/n)
  Backup	Purchase an external hard drive, or use institutionally available backup over the network
  Graphics processor	To support the Windows 7 Aero interface, the graphics processor should support WDDM and DirectX 9.0. 128 Mb graphics memory.
  Ports	All desktops and laptops should haveat least two USB 2.0 ports easily accessible. IEEE 1394, sometimes known as FireWire or i.Link, is another type of port that may be useful.

  [1] Several system manufacturers offer all-in-one configurations. These configurations may be desirable for situations in which desk/office space is at a premium, or for energy savings.

  [2] New Intel processor designs also include a Processor Number, which indicates processor features other than clock speed. Not all Core 2s are created equal! See http://www.intel.com/products/processor%5Fnumber/
  
  [3] Processors should be dual-core or quad core.
  
  [3a] "Core" refers to the newer lines of Intel CPU chips. As of this writing, Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs are becoming mainstream. Intel CPUs have varying capabilities regarding multimedia and/or power consumption. Read more about Intel's CPU line.
  
  [4] Pay particular attention to that maximum configurable amount of RAM and the slot configuration. Aviod configurations where increasing RAM requires discarding existing modules. If budget is a concern, consider purchasing systems less RAM and buying additional memory from a 3rd-party manufacturer.
  
  [4a] Some models use system RAM as shared video RAM to reduce cost or weight. If you have a shared VRAM configuration, 3 GB is recommended.
  
  [4b] Windows 7 and Vista have 2 Gb of RAM as the recommended minimum for 32-bit versions. 64-bit versions should have at least 4Gb. As 64-bit operating systems will become increasingly popular over the coming years, ensure that your new pc can support 4Gb of RAM for maximum upgradeability.
  
  [5] Hard disk upgrades are often reasonably priced. Some users may require more disk space. It is not unusual to need 500 Gb or more, especially if you store many graphics files. USB flash drives are usually used to for transfer of files in lieu of floppies... In 2010, 250 Gb disk drives are a typical "starter" size..
  
  [6] For laptops, suitable screen sizes often depend on how the computer will be used. Monitors should be capable of 1024x768 (XGA) resolution or better.

  [7] Laptops should have, a wireless network card, a network card and a modem. Network cards should be 10BaseT / 100BaseT / 1000BaseT auto-configuring Ethernet. Many current wireless cards support the emerging 802.11n standard as well.
  
  [8] Modems are used less frequently than before, and generally included with laptops.
  
  [9] Laptops serve a variety of needs. For example an "ultra mobile" lightweight laptop may have a 12" screen, a 60Gb, hard drive and a 1.2 Ghz processor. A "desktop replacement" is likely to have a 15 or 17" screen, an 120Gb drive, and as much RAM as a desktop system. Consider the user's needs.
  
  [10] Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 7 Professional, and Windows 7 Ultimate are the recommended editions of Windows 7 for University computers. Windows 7 Enterprise is available only to departments enrolled in the UC-MCCA leasing program or purchasers of Software Assurance.
  
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Software Recommendations

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Operating System:

• Windows: Microsoft Windows 7, or Windows XP Professional (Home Editions may be acceptable if you'll be keeping your computer at home. ) Windows Vista is acceptible if you already have it, but Windows 7 is preferred over Vista.
• Mac: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) for Intel-based Macs, 10.5 (Leopard)for others. Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) is deprecated.
• Linux: RedHat Enterprise Linux 5 or newer, or other currently supported variants, such as CentOS-5.
• For all operating systems, you should regularly apply the most recent security patches.

Productivity Software:

• Win/Mac: Microsoft's Office suite - Office 2010 (Windows), Office 2007 (Windows), Office 2011 (MacOS), Office 2008(MacOS) is widely used.
  Office 2003 is still supported, but will be phased out by April, 2014.
  Note: Word Perfect (6.0 or later) is an acceptable alternative within some departments, but MS-Word is the preferred document format for sharing documents between departments. Some units have reported positive experiences with the OpenOffice.org suite.

Email:

• All: Webmail
• Windows: Thunderbird, Microsoft Outlook 2010, Outlook 2007, Outlook Express
  Macintosh: Mail (included with O/S), Thunderbird, Microsoft Entourage, or Outlook 2011
• Many departments utilize centralized Email; please check with your Computer Support Coordinator

Internet Tools:

• Win/Mac:
• Browsers: Mozilla Firefox 3.6.12 or later, Safari 5.x, Internet Explorer 8.x (with latest patches) or later, Chrome 5.x.
  Supported Web Browsers
  
• Telnet: puTTY, SecureCRT SSH Tectia, dataComet
• File Transfers: WinSCP, dataComet (Mac), sftp (bundled with Linux). The use of standard, unencrypted FTP is discouraged for security reasons.
  

Dial-up Connectivity: Deprecated - as of 2007, most users have broadband service.

• Campus dialup: Lifeline Modem Service
  

File Exchange Format:

• Text: ASCII, MS-Word (.doc) , RTF
  
• Graphics: TIFF, GIF, JPEG, PNG image formats
  
• Video: MPEG, QuickTime
  
• Mail: MIME
  
• Archives: BinHex, Stuffit (Mac); ZIP, Auto-extract (PC)
  

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About this document

This document was prepared by the Office of Information Technology in coordination with UCI Computing Support Coordinators(CSCs)