ITS Recommendations for Computer Purchases and Replacements (Last Updated: September 9, 2024 11:19 AM )

Some New River academic programs require specific software to complete the course objectives, activities, and assessments. Please consult with your Instructor so they can identify any course-specific software or hardware requirements.

Computer labs are available on every campus for students during campus operational hours and are configured with the software needed for all academic programs. Every student can also download a licensed version of Microsoft Office 365 to install on their personal computers from our New River portal.

We discourage the purchase or use of Chromebooks, since Microsoft discontinued support for Office 365 on these devices in 2021. While Mac OS computers do support Microsoft Office 365, that support is not equal to the support provided for Windows computers. For example, Office 365 includes Access, Forms, and Publisher applications for Windows computers while there are no similar versions of Access, Forms, and Publisher for Mac OS.

Opinions vary regarding how frequently computing resources should be replaced. Generally, there are many factors that determine this and available funding is certainly a key consideration. New River strives to replace computers generally based on an annual basis of 8-10 years. Because simply using the purchase date as the basis for the replacement decision (because computers purchased on any particular date may vary significantly in performance), there are essentially three primary criteria we use to determine when a computer should be replaced.  Those criteria are:

1. CPU Speed (and # of cores)
2. RAM
3. Storage Capacity and Drive Type (is the drive HDD or SDD and what is the storage capacity?)

These recommendations not only apply to New River-purchased equipment, but also to recommendations for students and employees purchasing their own personal computers. 

To determine if you should be replacing an existing computer you should look at Row 1. To determine the type of computer you should currently be purchasing you should look at Row 2. While no one can accurately predict future events, this table provides a reasonable estimate and should effectively guide computer purchasing and replacement decisions.  This information is updated periodically.

NOTES:

1. Yellow (Row 2 above) indicates the current configuration for new computer purchases.
2. Any new computer purchase should include a gigabit ethernet card as well as a built-in webcam, Bluetooth, USB headset with microphone. Laptop purchases should additionally include a carrying case and a wireless network adapter.
3. Laptop specifications (CPU, RAM, Storage, Display) are typically lower than desktops and laptops are more prone to damage and theft with perhaps a shorter life cycle as a result.
4. Removable media drives are recommended which currently include CD/DVD-RW. USB flash drives are recommended for users to easily transport copies of their files. Storage space in OneDrive is available to all users with 1TB each.
5. Processor speeds are in Ghz and include number of processor cores (Duo, Quad, 6-core, or 10-core). Currently, we purchase i7 processors with 6-core for laptops and 10-core for desktops.

Computer Purchasing Recommendations

To determine the configuration of a new computer please refer to ROW 2 above.

Computer Replacements and Minimum Configurations

To determine the minimum configuration of an older computer that you might want to replace refer to ROW 1 above.