Computer Specifications for 2010/2011
For additional information on computer specifications for ResNet at Saint Mary's,
please review
A Student's Guide for Bringing a Computer to Saint Mary's College.
Recommended Configuration for Macs:
- Mac OS X version 10.4 or later
- G4 or G5 processor (includes iBooks, PowerBooks, and older iMacs)
or an Intel Core Duo/Core 2 Duo processor (includes current MacBooks, MacBook Pros, and
iMacs)
or an Intel Core i5/i7 processor (includes current MacBook Pros and iMacs)
- At least 1GB RAM, 2GB RAM (or more) preferred
- 80 GB hard drive or larger
Recommended Configuration for Windows:
- Windows XP Professional Edition
or Windows Vista Business Edition
or Windows Vista Ultimate Edition
or Windows 7 Professional Edition
or Windows 7 Ultimate Edition
- 2.8 GHz Pentium IV processor or better
or an Intel Core Duo/Core 2 Duo processor for desktop computers
- 1.5 GHz Pentium M processor or better
or an Intel Core Duo/Core 2 Duo processor
or an Intel Core i5/i7 processor for notebook computers
- At least 1GB of RAM, 2GB RAM (or more) preferred
- 80GB hard drive or larger
Recommended Software:
Saint Mary's College has a Microsoft Campus Agreement. This agreement allows students to purchase
a single copy each of Microsoft Office 2007 for Windows, Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, Microsoft
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition Upgrade, and Microsoft
Windows 7 Ultimate Edition Upgrade for $10 per software title for their personal computer. This
software is available for purchase at the Campus iStore during the academic year. Students must show
their Saint Mary's ID card to purchase the software, and the software will be charged to their student
accounts.
Saint Mary's Students are permitted one copy of each version of software available through the
Microsoft Campus Agreement to install on their personal computer. Students may not purchase
additional copies of media, even if the original media was lost or damaged.
Saint Mary's Students may purchase upgrades to the software they have already purchased. For
example, if a student purchased a copy of Microsoft Office and a new version of Microsoft Office was
released and made available through the Microsoft Campus Agreement, the student would be eligible
to purchase the new version.
Important Information Regarding Microsoft Windows:
Both Macintosh and Windows computers can be connected to our network if they meet the
requirements listed in our
Student's Guide to Bringing a Computer to Saint Mary's College,
and both are equally supported on campus. Approximately 47% of students on ResNet had a Macintosh
and 53% had a computer running Windows during the 2009/2010 academic year.
If you chose to buy a new computer running Windows, ResNet strongly recommends
purchasing a computer that already has Windows Vista Business Edition or Windows Vista
Ultimate Edition installed. ResNet encountered many issues during the 2007/2008, 2008/2009, and
2009/2010 academic years with several computer manufacturers not having hardware drivers available
for or compatible with Windows Vista Ultimate Edition and Windows 7 Ultimate Edition, and this created
problems when students' computers were upgraded from unsupported versions of Windows Vista or
Windows 7 to be compatible with our network. New computers that did not have a supported Windows
operating system pre-installed that were brought to the ResNet OfÞce during the 2009/2010 academic
year averaged more than six hours to complete the upgrade process, and students are required to be
present in the ResNet OfÞce while their computers are being upgraded. The length of time varies by
computer manufacturer, model, and availability of hardware drivers.
Not all computers that are sold with Windows Vista Home Basic Edition or Windows Vista Home
Premium Edition installed can be upgraded to Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. ResNet recommends
that you run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor on your computer and confirm that Windows Vista
Business/Ultimate drivers are available from your computer's manufacturer before attempting to
upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. Students are expected to confirm the compatibility of their
own computers before purchasing the Windows Vista Ultimate Edition Upgrade. The Windows Vista
Upgrade Advisor is available at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/get/upgrade-advisor.asp
Not all computers that are sold with Windows 7 Starter or Windows 7 Home Premium Editions can be
upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate Edition. ResNet recommends that you run the Windows 7 Upgrade
Advisor on your computer and confirm that Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate drivers are available from
your computer's manufacturer before attempting to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate Edition. Students
are expected to confirm the compatibility of their own computers before purchasing the Windows 7
Ultimate Edition Upgrade. The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is available at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx
(ResNet recommends that computers with Windows XP already installed not upgrade to Windows
Vista or Windows 7, but should upgrade to Windows XP Professional Edition if necessary. The ResNet OfÞce has a
limited number of Windows XP Professional Edition Upgrade CDs available for purchase.)
Our recommended specifications for all computers include:
- Ethernet cable (UTP, 10-Base-T, RJ-45 connector)
- CD-RW/DVD-ROM ("Combo") drive or CD-RW/DVD burner ("Superdrive")
- Built-in 100Base-T Ethernet (including 10/100 and 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet)
- An 802.11b or 802.11g or 802.11n compatible wireless network card
- Inkjet printer
Other useful items:
- USB flash drive for transferring files between computers
- ResNet recommends and the ResNet Computer Consultants (RCCs) use
Kingston DataTraveler DTI flash drives. They are available for purchase at the Bookstore,
Best Buy, and Amazon.com.
- External hard drive for backing up data
- Saint Mary's Information Technology staff use various Western Digital
external hard drives. The Western Digital Passport drives are available for purchase at the Bookstore
Best Buy, and Amazon.com.
Please note:
Saint Mary's College does not support Windows XP Home Edition,
Windows Media Center Edition, Windows Vista Home Basic Edition, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition,
Windows 7 Starter Edition, or Windows 7 Home Premium Edition.
Please do not bring these operating systems to campus.
These operating systems will prevent students from accessing and installing major
components of the Saint Mary's College network, including personal network drives,
course-related software, and the virus-protection software provided to all students.
Students bringing computers with unsupported operating systems to campus will be
required to upgrade their operating systems before connecting to ResNet and receiving ResNet support.
If you already own a computer that meets the minimum specifications listed below,
it should connect to the campus network.
- A Macintosh computer with a G4 processor running Mac OS X version 10.2, at least 512MB of
RAM, a 20 GB hard drive, and an installed 10/100Base-T Ethernet card meets the minimum
requirements need to connect to our network and check e-mail.
- A computer with Windows XP Professional Edition, a 1.5MHz processor, at least 512MB of
RAM, a 20 GB hard drive, and an installed 10/100Base-T Ethernet card meets the minimum
requirements need to connect to our network and check e-mail.
Computers meeting the above minimum requirements may connect to our network and check e-mail,
but may not be able to run all of the course-related software provided or access all of the networked
College systems. Computers meeting the minimum specifications will most likely not meet a student's
needs beyond two years.
If your computer does not meet these minimum specifications, you may need to upgrade its components for campus and network compatibility and maximum performance or purchase a new computer.
Last Modified June 14, 2010
