Notebooks
Several distinct categories of notebook systems are available, each designed to suit the needs of a particular class of users. Given the physical conditions they are often subjected to, notebook systems have a shorter useful life than desktop systems. Therefore, ISC estimates support for capable notebook systems at a maximum of 45 months (3.75 years). The current Notebook Purchasing Guide can help you determine which combination of features and capabilities will best serve your needs.
Extending warranties
For computers with warranties of less than three years, ISC strongly recommends the purchase of extended warranties when departments are not prepared to self-insure and make repairs themselves, especially beyond the first year or two of a computer's useful life.
Manufacturers such as Apple, Dell, and Lenovo now offer four-year and even five-year warranties for desktops. If a system is used for the entire four-year life cycle or beyond, these warranties (typically adding about $30 to $80 to the overall cost over a three-year warranty) are often appropriate. However, support providers should expect the system failure rate in the fourth and fifth years to be higher than that in the first three years.
Another option is to self-insure for the fourth year by allocating the additional funds that would otherwise be spent on warranty extensions into a fund to fix or replace systems that fail during the fourth year of service and beyond.
Operating system life cycle support
While once possible, ISC does not currently expect support for older or aging versions of Windows and macOS to persist through the four-year life cycle of the desktop recommendations. Support providers should assume at least one significant operating system upgrade over the life of a system. Please refer to the Operating System Life Cycles charts for long-term guidance on the University's supported operating systems.
Support providers should also be mindful that manufacturer-specific middleware and firmware should be kept current to ensure an optimal experience. For Windows systems, this includes BIOS updates.
Improving sustainability
University IT staff are encouraged to continue adopting measures that improve sustainability. One option for buyers is to purchase micro form factor, small form factor, or all-in-one desktops when possible—they use less power and significantly fewer materials than larger towers. The University's hardware vendors also offer high-efficiency (85% or higher—often branded as 80 PLUS) power supplies at little or no additional cost. In addition, buying toward the higher end of the desktop recommendations increases the chances of extending the system's life.
Ultra-low-cost desktops—not recommended
Price reductions resulting from market competition and continued technical innovation make the definition of "ultra-low-cost desktops" a moving target. It is generally true that computers priced in the bottom 40% of the current range compromise some combination of performance, reliability, compatibility, expandability, and warranty period to achieve the lowest possible costs.
Considering that "you get what you pay for" and since the total costs of ownership associated with supporting any desktop system always far outweigh the actual purchase price, ISC strongly discourages purchasing "ultra-low-cost desktops" for general use.
As an alternative, the Value Desktop Purchasing Guide offers recommendations for competitively priced systems that are compatible with Penn's computing environment and are widely supported on campus. ISC has certified low-cost enterprise-class systems for use at the University. However, these systems may not always be the best choice as they often lack important manageability or configurability features.
Controlling costs
Controlling costs continues to be necessary, though other considerations also must be weighed to ensure that business needs are met. A cost and resource savings option already commonly employed at the University is to buy high-quality displays every other life cycle instead of every life cycle. Another option is to bundle significant numbers of identical systems into a single purchase, often resulting in an additional discount from the system vendor.
Collaborative purchasing initiative
A collaborative purchasing initiative around institutional buying of Windows desktops and notebooks at Penn continues. The University has obtained advantageous volume pricing on commonly chosen configurations, lowering both acquisition cost and TCO. Dell OptiPlex Plus/Pro Plus desktops and Dell Latitude/Pro Plus/Pro Premium notebooks can be purchased with this pricing through the Dell Premier Page and the Penn Marketplace punchout environment.
Consider alternative desktop delivery methods
For many areas and use cases at the University, desktop virtualization (VDI), thin client deployments, or application virtualization can replace the traditional desktop. Support providers should carefully assess their environment before implementing any of these alternative desktop delivery methods. Total cost of ownership (TCO) advantages related to support, security, and sustainability may favor adopting alternate desktop delivery methods for various use cases across the University.
Further information
ISC provides information on supported computing applications, middleware, and operating systems.
All desktop systems should have essential data backed up and be kept virus-free. Additional security information from the Office of Information Security can be found here.
The Office of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety provides information on computer ergonomics.