College of Business Suggested Guidelines for PC Purchasing
Components and Factors
If you already have a computer
Buying a new computer -- Minimum Specifications
PC Desktop
PC Laptop
Capabilities

word processing

e-mail

internet access

word processing

database

spreadsheet

e-mail

Internet access

CD player

Windows XP Professional
Anti-virus software
Free anti-virus software is available to all K-Staters via download from the antivirus.ksu.edu website
Processor (CPU)
500 MHz speed or better

Desktop:
2.8 GHz Pentium 4 or better

Laptop:
1.4 GHz Pentium 3 or better

Color Monitor and Video Card
High-color (16-bit) display and compatible video card
17-inch color monitor, 4x AGP bus video card with 64MB video RAM
12-inch TFT display, 4x AGP bus video card with 32MB video RAM
Hard Drive (HD)
10 gigabytes or better
40 gigabytes or better
30 gigabytes or better
Memory (RAM)
128 megabytes or better
1gigabyte or better
1 gigabyte or better
Floppy disk drive
3.5-inch 1.44 megabytes
3.5-inch 1.44 megabytes (optional)
3.5-inch 1.44 megabytes (optional)
CD-ROM drive or DVD
any speed
any speed DVD/CDRW
any speed DVD/CDRW
Operating system
Windows 9.x/NT/2000
Windows XP Pro
Windows XP Pro
Keyboard/ pointer
customer preference (mouse, trackball, or trackpad)
Modem or
Ethernet card
Modem 56 kbps and/or
10BaseT Ethernet card
Carefully Explore All these options:
Built-in 56 kbps (V.90) fax modem for off-campus dial-in and/or
10/100Base-TX Ethernet card for on-campus or residence hall;
minimum is 10BaseT card -- optional - wireless network Ethernet card
Sound System
Sound card with speakers
Sound card with speakers (SoundBlaster 16-compatible) (optional)
Removable Storage
Zip drive and optional CD-RW

*USB Key, Zip drive and optional
 CD-RW/DVD-RW
*USB Key, Zip drive and optional
CD-RW/DVD-RW
Expected price
n/a
PC desktop $1,000
PC laptop $1,500

*We recommend USB Keys be your primary storage device.