Buyer's Guide
Are you wondering what to buy and how to get a good price? You've come to the right place!
Buying for yourself?
This applies when you are spending your own money and not university or grant funds.
These recommendations are provided as a starting point for students to use when buying new hardware and software. According to a 2010 survey, 87 percent of students own laptops, so that's what we have listed here.
The following schools and colleges have buyer's information specific to their programs:
- Lundquist College of Business
- School of Journalism and Communication
- Architecture & Allied Arts
- School of Law
If your school or college isn't listed above, or if you have not declared a major, don't despair! We have assembled buyer's guides that cover most of the needs you're likely to encounter, regardless of your coursework. Click a company for more information:
The Information Services Help Desk is always happy to answer pre-purchase questions.
Why buy these computers?
You will notice the computers we list are more expensive than those you'll see advertised online or in your Sunday newspaper. We have several good reasons for this:
- Quality comes with a price: the laptops on our list are business-class computers, not low-end loss leaders that need expensive upgrades to work well.
- We've done our homework: a quality computer will run well for three or four years, and you should spend time being a student, not fixing your computer.
- Better service: we can more easily support twenty laptop models than we can 200. If you buy a computer in the Buyer's Guide, our Help Desk will be well familiar with it in the event you need help.
Buying on behalf of the university?
A university purchase is one where you are spending university or grant money.
For purchases made with university funds, discounts for large purchases are available in many circumstances. Start by contacting your local IT support group for advice and purchasing assistance. For Dell purchases, visit the university's Dell Premier site. For Apple purchases, contact Curtis Smith at The Digital Duck.
Any time you are planning to make large purchases we recommend working with Purchasing and Contracting Services in advance to ease the purchase process.
Buying Software
See the Software Buyer's Guide.
Buying Tablets
See the Tablet Buyer's Guide.