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CAMPUS

Standards

Technology Purchasing Standards (Revised October 2010)

Computer and other technology purchased by the district should conform to the following standard configurations. As new models of equipment are announced and you would like for it to be reviewed by the Office of Technology, please send an email to Jeff Roller or Jerry Steen. We will evaluate the requested equipment and make the appropriate changes to the purchasing standards. These standards will also be reviewed at least every eighteen (18) months.

Equipment not on the approved list should not be purchased without approval by the Office of Technology.


New Desktop computers should have the following minimum configuration.

  • Dell Optiplex Intel Core 2 Quad Processor 2.93 ghz, 1066Mhz FSB 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM (2 dimm), 160GB SATA 7200RPM hard drive, 19” Flat Panel with Sound Bar Speakers, Soundblaster compatible sound card, 8x DVD ROM, 16x DVD+/-RW, optical mouse. Windows 7, NTSF format. 1 year parts and labor, 3 year parts warranty.

Note: DO NOT order a wireless network option for any Desktop Computer.

Note 2: Software replacement considerations need to be made for Windows 7. Compatibility problems are issues using older software.

Note 3: Xtenda Hosts – Mini Tower form factor and the Ram memory should be increased to 4 gig DDR3 SDRAM (2 dimm)

Note 4: Consideration for dual monitors for Office staff and Administrators should be considered

Laptop computers are to be one of the following, minimum configurations:

  1. Dell Latitude Intel Core Duo 2.53 ghz, 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM (2 dimm), 160GB hard drive. 14.1” color display. 8x DVD+/-RW, Windows 7, NTSF Format, built-in LAN NIC card and wireless NIC 802.11a/g/n Mini-card Ethernet.
  2. There should be NO Macintosh Laptops purchased.

Note: Each laptop computer should be purchased with a 10/100/1000 base-T Ethernet card. All laptops should have Wireless Ethernet capabilities.

The minimum software configuration should be Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus.

Printers
All Printers should be purchased with Network options unless they are truly stand-alone printers attached to a single computer. Printer sharing through a PC sharing its attached printer should be avoided.

Laser Printers
Networked Dell or Lexmark laser printers may be purchased based upon quality, speed and volume requirements. Color laser printers by the same vendors may also be 
purchased.

InkJet Printers should not be purchased.

Dot matrix or impact printers may be considered for applications requiring continuous feed and/or multi-part forms (very rare situation).

Combo scanner/fax/printers should not be purchased for classroom or individual office placements.

Scanners are to be Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard or Epson. Brother Color scanning with 2400 dpi resolution.

Note: Any inkjet printer or scanner out of warranty will not be repaired. If it cannot be cleaned and returned to service it will be discarded.

Digital Cameras
Only digital cameras should be bought that use CDRW, Compact Flash or one of the reuseable media cards. (These types of memory can be re-used many times and
recycled to new cameras.) Digital cameras should be purchased with extended warranties and when they break out of warranty, they will be discarded due to the prohibitive cost of repair. Digital cameras should also be purchased with an external card reader that allows the memory to be read without plugging in the camera to the computer.

Projectors
Projectors should be a minimum of 1200 lumins or greater and be purchased with 1 additional light bulb. Thought should also be given to purchasing carrying cases as well as remote mice and laser pointers.

Servers:
Specifications provided on request by the Office of Technology.

Macintosh Desktop computers should only be purchased for special situations such as multi-media labs or other very high-end graphical uses. They should not be purchased for administrative computers, general student use, or general teacher use. All Macintosh computers should be purchased with full labor and parts warranty for a minimum of 3 years. Macintosh support within the district is limited and the purchasing of software support should be considered.


SOFTWARE CONSIDERATIONS:

As you are buying new equipment, either Dell or Mac, make sure that your current version of your software will run under the operating
system that will come on the computer, either Windows XP, Windows 7 or Mac OS X. The manufacturer’s website may be a good place to start or ask your technician to help as well. Do not take for granted that old programs will run in the “compatibility mode” of the operating system. The older the program, the less likely that this will be the case.

Why the changes to the standards and, in particular, why exclude Macintosh?

The standards are revised periodically to account for the advances in technology and also to bring to bear knowledge developed as we work with the equipment being purchased.

These “minimum” configuration standards are not the least expensive options. By not buying the “low-end” or cheapest available model, we extend the useable life of our
investment by 1 – 2 years without any further upgrades. However, a decision to buy the biggest and fastest is not a good fiscal decision because of the high cost of the latest and greatest technology. We expect the life of our minimum configuration machine to be 4 years without a need for upgrades.

The Dell Intel processors will adequately fill the needs of all graphics applications but Macintosh is the preferred choice for most graphics arts teachers. Macintosh computer purchases are allowable for Graphics Arts, video editing applications, and other graphics intensive applications for the classroom or specialized departments, such as the audio-visual department.