What To Buy
Seattle Pacific does not recommend any specific brands or systems for use on campus. While the University is generally a Microsoft campus all resources should be equally accessible from Macintosh or Windows platforms.

Recommended Minimum Specifications
	2.0Ghz Core2Duo (Celeron not recommended)
	2GB RAM, 4GB recommended
	120GB Hard Drive
	Smaller and lighter laptops are generally preferred.
	Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows 7 or Macintosh OS X 10.5

Accessories

Cat-5 Network Cable, USB Flash Drive (min 1GB), Laptop Carrying Case, Surge Protector Strip, External Hard Drive for backups (min120 GB - more is always better).

Note about Laptops
Most retail computers come with a standard 1 year warranty. For an additional cost longer 3 year warranties are available. The cost of these warranties is often nearly the full cost of the computer. It may be worth budgeting to replace the laptop in 3 years rather than purchasing a longer warranty. The typical laptop lasts about 3 years being taken to class and coffee shops for homework. After a few years the hinges on the screen and hard drives tend to fail on all manufacturers machines.

Software
SPU students are part of the Microsoft Campus License Agreement and have access to the Enterprise Edition of Microsoft Office. This version is recommended over the the student or home versions available with a computer as it includes full versions of Microsoft Outlook, Publisher and Access. For more information about software on campus please see the Software Distribution section of the site.

Please note: non-matriculated, part-time and former students are not covered under the software license agreement.

Educational Discounts on Computers
Dell and Apple both provide discounts to faculty staff and students on hardware purchased from their websites. Dell offers "Recommended Bundles" based on SPU's current campus standard equipment. Custom configurations are available through the full catalog link on the Dell SPU page. If required, SPU's Dell member ID is US59273238.

Dell SPU Site

Apple sells their their full hardware line with standard educational institutiuon discounts. These products are available at Apple stores with a valid ID card or through their Apple Store for Education website.


Apple Education Store

The following sites are commonly used references for reviews and vendors. Reviews units at these sites are generally provided by the vendor and should not be considered completely objective.

Review Sites: CNET Anandtech ZD-Net Tom's Hardware

Other Retailers: New Egg M-Wave ZipZoomFly Best Buy

Maintaining Your Computer (keep your system running and up-to-date)
Connecting to the Campus Network (how to connect)
Software Distribution (Microsoft and McAfee software for faculty, staff and students)