Computer Hardware Planning
3 year cycle
Those DLCs on the 3 year hardware renewal cycle should consult MIT IS&T's recommended computer hardware for the list of acceptable desktop and laptop machines. Most of the time they will work fine for critical work functions which includes email, MS Office, Dropbox, Sophos Anti-Virus, Web browsing, Zoom, Global Protect VPN, and running administrative apps and accessing administrative web sties. For most users, the recommended spec across the board is a minimum memory configuration of 16GB with an M2 or Intel i5 or higher processor. This is a good starting point for creating specs for new machines and then adjust for additional and specific user needs.
For users who need to use Adobe apps for graphics or video production, an Apple M2 Pro/Max, Intel i7 processor, or higher should be considered. Storage capacity will be determined by the current users' HD storage usage. Bear in mind that creative users who work in communications, multimedia, visual arts, music, or desktop or web publishing will generally need more storage, power. and potentially more memory than administrative users who just use Microsoft Office and administrative apps and tools.
4-5 year cycle
For those areas on a 4-5 year hardware renewal schedule and not the usual 3 year, please be aware that you must purchase a mid to high end model machine to ensure the computer has enough power and resource to run newer software at a minimally acceptable performance level 4-5 years down the line.
Minimum memory specifications must be no lower than 16GB and the processor must be no lower than an Apple M2 or Intel i5. For users that require Adobe Creative Suite or for users doing video or photo editing or web development that takes up at least a quarter of their time, the minimum memory should not be lower than 32GB and the processor must be no lower than an Apple M2 Pro or Intel i7. For users who will be using their machines for video or multimedia development more than half the time, either the higher end Apple M1 Pro, M1 Max, M2 or Intel i9 processors may be worth consideration. We will update these requirements annually as the computer technologies advance.
If you are thinking PC for business machines with no low to medium video demand, please try to stay within the Dell Latitude, Optiplex, or Precision lines or Lenovo Thinkpads. Dell drops available spare parts for all other models once the maximum warranty period has expired. Of particular note Inspiron notebook spare parts are not available 1 year after they're sold once their warranty expires. Once these laptops die, there is no way to repair them if someone doesn't already have the spare parts.
For PC users with higher video demands to run Adobe products, video production, or other higher GPU simulation functions, Alienware and Lenovo machines should be reasonably considered as viable alternatives. There was a time when the XPS line represented higher end Dell performance but it appears those days have passed.
Quality
In recent years, quality of laptops have been hit or miss with more catastrophic failures early in the laptop's lifespan. This decrease in reliability was accompanied by many companies decreasing the length of the standard warranty from a year to 30 days. The Covid Pandemic has also brought about levels of greedflation as prices have gone up due to rarity of parts but have not necessarily come back down to pre-Pandemic levels after the parts are plentiful again. Though most machines will last 3 years, users should always ALWAYS purchase warranties for their products for at least 3 years if possible and use Dropbox and/or backup programs like Time Machine on Mac, Windows backup on PC, or Crashplan internet cloud backup to safe guard your data.
From 2021-2023, SHASS IT observed a higher than usual hardware failure rate in computer equipment, including equipment that arrived new in box that wouldn't turn on. We were observing some new laptops with component failures after 1 or 2 years. So far in 2024, the product lines appear to be better made and with significantly fewer reports of outright failures.
Current products on our DO NOT BUY list currently are:
- Acer. All products. Their products have had an unusually high number of defects and failures and it has been reported by users that they are not honoring their warranties.
- Any desktop PCs running 13th- or 14th-generation Raptor Lake Intel Core CPUs. We are recommending users AVOID any PC desktop machine with the affected buggy processors.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/intel-chip-bug-faq-which-pcs-are-affected-how-to-get-the-patch-and-everything-else-you-need-to-know/
Apple and Dell warranties
Our recommendation remains to ALWAYS get the warranties. This is especially true for laptops which generally have a higher rate of failure due to their smaller micronized parts.
Apple has a 3 year warranty and a pay year by year warranty. Be aware there is a deadline for purchasing the warranty if you don't purchase it with the computer. Please check with Apple at time of purchase as this grace period has changed multiple times in the past several years. As a general best practice we always recommend purchasing the warranty with the computer so you don't forget later.
Dell does sell service contracts for more than 3 years, however they are more expensive and may not be available for all makes and models. Make sure you purchase the service contract that is appropriate to the length of time you expect to have to keep your Windows machine. It is always a good idea to buy a warranty with your computer.
Repairs
MIT Hardware Service Center is now open for computer hardware repairs! It is currently located at its temporary location in the Atlas Service Center. A partnership with ComputerCare, the center is available to all MIT students, faculty, and staff. Technicians will repair computers on site at the Atlas Service Center this semester. The permanent location of the Hardware Service Center is under construction, with an expected opening in spring 2025. Supported computers for repair include Apple, Dell, and Lenovo products. The Hardware Service Center plans to expand services to mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, late Fall 2024.
The Hardware Service Center accepts both MIT-issued and personal devices. While there is no charge for labor, they will work with the individual requestors to bill for any necessary parts; costs may apply.
Please be aware the SHASS IT Support Team does not repair machines or recover data. We are not authorized Apple, Dell, or Lenovo technicians.
Lenovo
Lenovo Thinkpads have long had a reputation in business for dependability, durability, and reliability. However this comes at a cost. Lenovo tightly controls the firmware of their machines so non-Lenovo certified parts or operating systems won't work in their machines. This means Linux Distros and lower versions of Windows (like Windows 7) could be blocked from installation. Also users will be unable to tweak the CPU or RAM clocking and hardware to boost performance. This makes Lenovo machines distinctively unsuitable for gaming or application where other non-shipped OS implementations or hardware customizations are required.
Macbook Air
The newest incarnation of the Apple Silicon M3 processor MacBook Air 15 has raised the bar on its historical predecessors and is a good choice for users who need a lighter machine but don't need the power of a Pro or Max M3 chip. If you need the larger 16 inch screen then you have to get a MacBook Pro but if a 15 inch screen is sufficient, the 15 MacBook Air with 16GB of memory and the appropriate sized storage HD storage will serve you just fine for users without high graphics, desk top publishing, or video or music production needs. Make sure you get a hard drive with enough storage to fit all your data from your old laptop plus enough room to grow over the next 3-4 years.
iPads
iPads are not laptop computers. They do not (yet) have a user accessible file system and run on augmented cellular phone processors. Though there are apps that enable iPads to behave laptop-like, we do not recommend using iPads as your primary computer. iPads are really effective supplementary computing technology, life-style tools and devices to show people things on, whether that be pictures, movies, or presentations. Given the amount you would have to invest in both time and money to get the iPad to act computer-like, you would be better off buying a real computer which would do those things much better, faster, and reliably.
The Storage Conundrum
Finally, be aware of the Hard Drive (HD) data storage sizes of the machine you're buying compared to the amount of data on the machine you currently have. Many of the new machines are coming with smaller but faster (and more expensive) solid state HDs while older machines tend to have larger but slower (and cheaper) platter drives. Make sure you have purchased enough storage space on the new machine to move all of your files, pictures, movies, and emails from your old machine. So when ordering your new machine, make sure to configure the size of the new HD storage in the new laptop accordingly. What we recommend is if your current disk usage is approaching half of the current drive, your new computer should be purchased with storage the next size up. For example, if you currently have a 512GB drive and you're using 250GB of it now, your new machine should be ordered with the 1TB HD for storage to make sure you have enough room to grow in the next 3-4 years.
Data Backup Drives
When you get a new computer, don't forget to also get a new external HD for your Time Machine or Windows Backups. Your data is the most important part of your computer and the life span of a HD used for backup is the same as the life of your computer. So if you replace the computer, replace the backup drive as well. Alternatively, users should also be using Dropbox to store their files, and also consider using Code42's Crashplan Cloud backup solution available from IS&T to help save guard their data.
Be aware that external backups are pretty fast but they still require time to run. Do not shut down your computer or interrupt the backups until they are done. The more frequently you run your backups, the faster each backup cycle will be.
On the Mac, Time Machine does backup your account files as well as your Mac OS system files and Applications. Windows backup only backs up your account files like Desktop, Documents, Videos, etc.
Crashplan
For Internet backup solutions like Crashplan, be aware that this solution only works as well as the speed and stability of your Internet connection. If the machine using Crashplan is always at MIT, then the performance should be pretty fast and stable. To properly manage expectations, user should be aware that backup over Internet is not as fast as external backup to local hard drive. Having said that, Crashplan does not backup applications or the OS of your computer. Just the files in Documents, Desktop, Videos, Music, and Photos.
But because most of our users do take their machines home with them, variability in the speed and stability of home internet access can delay a complete backup of all recently modified files with Crashplan. We have observed delays in the report of completion in Crashplan backups from between 2 and 4 days for most active Crashplan users.
Dropbox
We are recommending all users use Dropbox to store your mission critical work files and (if you have a large enough hard drive storage) tell Dropbox to save a copy locally on your computer as well. This way your data will be protected at all times, regardless of which additional backup solution you are using. Additionally, using Dropbox will make it significantly easier for both PC and Mac users to transition from their old machines to new ones.