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Here is the recommended minimum configuration in gneralgeneral:
Light Usage
Light Usage Configuration is generally recommended for:
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RAM: 8 Gigs (minimum) to 16+ Gigs (more is always better)
Hard Drive: 256 Gigs (more is always better)
Warranty for Duration of computer (3 to 5 years)
- Supported operating system such as Windows 11 or 12. Windows 7 end of life was January 14, 2020 and Microsoft now charges for upgrades from Windows 7 to 10. Windows 10 will end of life on October 14th 2025 so if you do not buy a WIndows 11 or 12 compatible computer, your computer will be insecure and will not be able to be used on any UCSB wired or wireless network in less than a year.
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RAM: 16 Gigs to 32 Gigs (if using RAM intensive programs like Adobe Creative Cloud)
Hard Drive: 512 Gigs to 1 Tb
Warranty for Duration of computer (3 to 5 years)
- Supported operating system such as Windows 11 or 12. Windows 7 end of life was January 14, 2020 and Microsoft now charges for upgrades from Windows 7 to 10. Windows 10 will end of life on October 14th 2025 so if you do not buy a WIndows 11 or 12 compatible computer, your computer will be insecure and will not be able to be used on any UCSB wired or wireless network in less than a year.
Warranty Requirement
Due to the way laptops are built, it is highly recommended that laptops have a Warranty to cover the expected lifetime of the computer.
Most computers have a general lifetime of 3 years, with most parts considered obsolete or not worth repairing past 5 years.
Recommended Brands
The recommended brand names you should shoot for are the following:
- Dell - Available on the UC Gateway System
- HP - Select models available on the UC Gateway System's CDWG punchout
- Lenovo- Select models available on the UC Gateway System's CDWG punchout
If you are doing research at UCSB and either you or your research group have received any State or Federal grant money, please note the following:
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The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) §889 part B includes a prohibition against the use by any organization that contracts with the Federal government of equipment from 5 Chinese manufacturers and their subsidiaries and affiliates. The five manufacturers are:
At present, personally owned devices from the above 5 manufacturers can be used on ResNet and campus wireless networks provided that the equipment is not used in any way to support research. The equipment can not be on any wired network. |
Things to Consider...
Registration and Management
All "UC Owned" computers are required to have management software installed as well as campus provided antivirus. This includes grant, gift and startup funded computers. Before buying any computers with UC funds please email help@engineering.ucsb.edu so we can go through proper channels and get all required software installed, possibly out of the box at time of manufacture for some brands.
Thinbook/Ultrabooks
The design of Thinbook/Ultrabooks focus on being light and portable.
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