Buy

Equipment

Now

Within 1 year

Within 2 years

3-4 year life span

CPU for Windows PCs

Intel Core Duo processors or earlier

Intel Core 2

Duo Processors

First Generation Intel Core i architecture

(i3/i5/i7);

Intel Core 2 Duo processors

"Ivy Bridge" 3nd Generation Intel Core i architecture (i3/i5/i7)

"Sandy Bridge" 2nd Generation Intel Core i architecture for Ultrabooks and other small laptops.

*Ultra-compact laptops often use CPUs from one generation before.

CPU for Macintosh

Intel Core Duo Processor or earlier

Intel Core 2 Duo processor

First Generation Intel Core i architecture

(i3/i5/i7);

Intel Core 2 Duo processors

"Ivy Bridge" 3nd Generation Intel Core i architecture (i5 or i7) on models where offered;

"Sandy Bridge" 2nd Generation Intel Core i architecture (i5 or i7) for MacBook Air or MacMini

*Ultra-compact computers often use CPUs from one generation before.

RAM

2 GB

2-4 GB

4 GB

8 GB; more memory as required by application.

*Use Windows 7 64-bit or Mac OS X 10.7 or higher if your computer is equipped with 4 GB of RAM or more.

Hard Drive Capacity

*Replace your hard disk drive after ~45 months of service to statistically reduce the chance of failure.

160 GB or less. Any drive using Ultra-ATA technology.

160 GB or more; desktop drives under 7200rpm

320 GB or more; desktop drives under 7200rpm

Serial ATA, 320+ GB, 7200 rpm; Solid State Drive, 120+ GB if required by application

*Use Windows 7 64-bit or Mac OS X 10.7 or higher if your computer is equipped with a Solid State drive.

Optical Drive

(CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD ± R Drive)

Any drive that cannot record DVD data disks

Any DVD±R drive without Dual Layer (DL) capability

Any DVD±R drive without Dual Layer (DL) capability

16x DVD±R drive with Dual Layer (DL) capability;

Blue Ray Drive only if required by application

*An optical drive may not be necessary for certain computer configurations, particularly ultra-portables.

Display Monitor

---and---

Video Card

Any CRT monitor

Any analog LCD flat panel

Any analog LCD flat panel

LCD digital flat panel 17-inch or higher with DVI connector

LCD digital flat panel 19-inch or higher with DVI;

DisplayPort connector if required by application

Any discrete video card not using PCIe (PCI Express)

Intel GMA 3100 built-in video

Any discrete video card not using PCIe (PCI Express)

Intel GMA 4500 built-in video

Any PCIe (PCI Express) video card with less than 256 MB memory

Any Intel built-in video GMA 4500 or less

Intel "Ivy Bridge" HD4000 graphics or HD2500 for portables;

NVIDIA or ATI PCIe discrete graphics with 256 MB memory or higher, DVI or DisplayPort connector, other connectors

(e.g. HDMI, VGA) as needed

*Use Windows 7 64-bit or Mac OS X 10.7 or higher for all operations involving modern graphics chipsets (GPU)

I/O Ports

Audio for PCs

Anything with less than 4 USB ports

Anything not conforming to the USB 2.0 specification

Anything with less than 4 USB ports or lacking front USB ports

Anything with less than 4 USB ports;

Bluetooth 2.0

Six or more USB ports, including USB 3.0. Some on the front of the computer for desktops; 2-4 USB ports for laptops (dependent on form factor)

Bluetooth 4.0 if required

eSATA or Thunderbolt as required

Choose a 5.1 or 7.1 sound option on PCs if you need surround sound capability

Network

 ---or---

Dial-up Modem²

10/100 Base-T wired Ethernet

Laptops: 802.11b/g wireless

10/100 Base-T wired Ethernet 

Laptops: 802.11g wireless

10/100 Base-T wired Ethernet

Laptops: 802.11g wireless

10/100/1000 Base-T (Gigabit) wired Ethernet

Laptops: 802.11n wireless

Any dial-up modem

Any dial-up modem

Any dial-up modem

Only use a dial-up modem in rural areas where no other Internet access alternative exists.

Otherwise use wired or mobile broadband Internet access.

Operating System³
*Replace Windows Vista installations with Windows 7 because it will run better; Microsoft will support Windows XP through 2014; Use Windows 7 exclusively if you need a 64-bit Operating System

Any operating system earlier than Windows XP

Windows Vista

Mac OS X 10.5.x or earlier

Windows XP

Mac OS X 10.5.x

Windows XP

Mac OS X 10.6.x

Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Enterprise (recommended)

Windows 7 Home or Windows 7 Ultimate (for home use only)

*Use Windows 7 64-bit to utilize RAM configurations exceeding 4GB.

Mac OS X 10.7 or later

¹When you replace your computer depends upon the applications you use. These recommendations are for a general-purpose computer that can run the latest applications.

²Only use a dial-up modem in areas where broadband is not available. If you still use dial-up as the primary way to access the Internet, start exploring wired broadband (cable modem or DSL) or wireless (cellular) broadband alternatives.

³C&IT strongly recommends operating systems with built-in firewall software to help avoid security compromises on your computer. Mac OS X includes a built-in firewall. For Windows computers, we recommend Windows 7 or Windows XP with Service Pack 3. For more information see the Knowledgebase article on Firewalls.