| CaTS Equipment Guidelines 2006 |
Important Information for Wright State Departments |
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Introduction CaTS publishes equipment guidelines to assist departments and colleges in identifying computer systems that no longer have the required horsepower to run recommended software and access important network resources such as WINGS, WebCT and Banner. These guidelines help departments identify systems that should be replaced as part of the normal budget cycle. Warranty coverage also plays a key role; PCs and laptops purchased from MPC, our recommended supplier, will include a standard 5 year warranty. In the past, CaTS has published a single "Minimum Hardware Guideline" and suggested that any system falling below this standard be replaced. Starting with the July 2006 recommendations, we are publishing Equipment Guideline Ranges to provide more information and allow for better planning for the future. The information may be more complex, so if you have any questions, please contact the CaTS Help Desk to arrange a consultation. Effective: July 1, 2006 PC Guidelines for Previous Years |
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| ALL SYSTEMS | CaTS recommends and supports Windows XP and MacOS X 10.3 and 10.4. Earlier operating systems such as Windows 95, 98, ME and MacOS 9 are no longer supported. All campus systems should have fully patched operating systems, anti-virus software installed and set for automatic updates. |
| RED ZONE
strongly advised to replace |
YELLOW ZONE
time to think about replacing |
GREEN ZONE
recommended minimum |
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Windows PC: < 650mHz Macintosh: < G4 550mHz RAM: < 256mb Display: < 17" at 1024 x 768 OS: any Performance of key applications (Office, browsers, WINGS, Banner, anti-virus) will be unacceptable on equipment in this category. Required hardware upgrades (RAM, hard drive, screen, etc) may exceed the value of the system. Current applications and security software may not be available on older operating systems. Systems are generally 5 years or older, are no longer under warranty and may be at higher risk of hardware failure or data corruption. |
Windows PC: 650mHz - 1gHz Macintosh: G4 550mHz - 800mHz RAM: 256mb Display: 17" at 1024 x 768 OS: Windows XP, MacOS X 10.3 Performance of applications (Office, Banner) may be slow, but functional. Upgrading to 512mb RAM will improve responsiveness. Fewer applications can be run at the same time. Systems in this category are reaching the end of warranty coverage and should be targeted for replacement in the next 12-18 months. May be suitable for lighter use areas such as lab/data entry stations, e-mail stations or users with limited needs. |
Windows PC: 1gHz or > Macintosh: G4 800mHz or > RAM: 512mb Display: 17" at 1024 x 768 or > OS: Windows XP, MacOS X 10.4 Standard applications (Office, WINGS, WebCT, Banner) will be well supported in this category. |
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| FUTURE SYSTEMS | Microsoft will be releasing a significant new operating system upgrade near the end of 2006. Windows Vista, code named Longhorn, will have dramaticly higher system requirements when it is released. CaTS will be evaluating Vista and making recommendations as its release gets closer. However, we anticipate a minimum hardware requirement of a 2.4gHz processor with 1gb of RAM. |