Notebook Guidelines

Technology Guidelines

Notebook Computers
Version: 2.0
Status: Proposed: 03/27/07
Contact: James E. Davis

PURPOSE

The following establishes general guidelines and a minimum set of expectations to follow when purchasing new notebook personal computers.

SCOPE

This guideline covers the hardware components, base operating software, warranty, support, and service requirements for 3 levels of notebook computer configurations.

APPLICABILITY

This guideline is applicable to notebook computers only and does not cover desktops or other systems required for support services or applications requiring unique or special configurations.

GUIDELINE

The guidelines outlined in this document define hardware specifications for procuring notebook computers for faculty, students and staff. These guidelines can and should be applied to all units/offices in order to provide a standard platform across the college. It is recommended these configurations be used to govern the purchase of all notebook computers.

The guidelines allow colleges to migrate to systems that are current-technology and that can also assist in reducing support costs associated with warranty and deployment. They adopt versions of chipsets and processors that will serve to maximize anticipated hardware life cycles.

Colleges should always follow this document, where possible, when making new notebook purchases since all VCCS system wide notebook product and application decisions will be based solely upon the specifications included in these guidelines. All exceptions should be clearly documented and submitted when requesting purchasing approval.

CONFIGURATION CATEGORIES
User Profile	MOBILE WORKER	DAY EXTENDER ( MAINSTREAM)	DAY EXTENDER ( POWER)
Processor	Core Duo T2500 or Core 2 Duo T7200	Core Duo T2300E or Core 2 Duo T5500, T7200	Core Duo T2600 or Core 2 Duo T7400, T7600
Memory	1-2 GB DDR2	1-2 GB DDR2	2+ GB DDR2
Chipset	Intel 945GM	Intel 945GM	Intel 945PM
Hard Drive	60-80GB	40GB	60-80GB
Optical Drive	DVD/CD-ROM	CD-ROM	DVD/CD-ROM
Graphics	Integrated	Integrated	Discrete
Display Size	12-inch to 15-inch wide	14.1-inch to 15.4-inch wide	15.0 + wide
Resolution	SXGA+ or WSXGA+	XGA or WXGA	SXGA+ or WSXGA+
External Monitor	Optional	No	Yes
USB Ports	At least 2	At least 2	At least 4
NIC	Integrated 10/100/1000	Integrated 10/100/1000	802.11 a/b/g; WWAN (optional)
Modem	Integrated 56 Kbps	Integrated 56 Kbps	Integrated 56 Kbps
Wireless	802.11 a/b/g; WWAN (optional)	802.11 a/b/g	802.11 a/b/g
Extra Battery	Yes	No	Optional
Weight	3.5 to 5.75 pounds	5.25 to 6.5 pounds	5.25 to 7.0 pounds
Warranty	Three years	Three years	Three years

PROCESSOR NUMBER FEATURE TABLE
PROCESSOR NAME	CACHE	CLOCK SPEED	FRONT SIDE BUS (MHz)	CORE	CHIPSET	VIRTUAL-IZATION	EXECUTE DISABLE BIT	ENHANCED INTEL SPEEDSTEP™
Intel Core Duo T2300E	2 MB L2	1.66 GHz	667 MHz	Dual	Intel 945GM	No	Yes	Yes
Intel Core Duo T2500	2 MB L2	2.0 GHz	667 MHz	Dual	Intel 945GM	Yes	Yes	Yes
Intel Core Duo T2600	2 MB L2	2.16 GHz	667 MHz	Dual	Intel 945PM	Yes	Yes	Yes
Intel Core 2 Duo T5500	2 MB L2	1.66 GHz	667 MHz	Dual	Intel 945GM	Yes	Yes	Yes
Intel Core 2 Duo T7200	4 MB L2	2.0 GHz	667 MHz	Dual	Intel 945GM	Yes	Yes	Yes
Intel Core 2 Duo T7400	4 MB L2	2.16 GHz	667 MHz	Dual	Intel 945PM	Yes	Yes	Yes

NOTE:

The System Office provides contracts for procuring Dell and Hewlett Packard equipment. These contacts were designed so VCCS could maximize its savings on specific models and configurations. The VCCS contract information can be found at the following link:

http://www.vccs.edu/admin/Controller_Office/Purchasing/InformationTechnologyContracts.htm

There are five statewide PC contracts established by VITA. In addition to these standard configurations, however, note that many other vendor notebooks can be purchased off of these contracts. To do so, you will need to refer to the contract tables titled "Off-Spec Discounts."

VITA state contract link: http://www.vita.virginia.gov/procurement/pcPricing.cfm

The Guidelines are optimized for three primary notebook user profiles — power day extender (technology-driven desktop replacement); mainstream day extender (price-driven desktop replacement); and the traveling (mainstream mobile) worker — both from a usage pattern and from an IT management perspective. Although numerous other profiles exist, these three are most representative of the appropriate range of our business notebook user requirements.

Intel is rapidly transitioning its Core Duo processor line to its new generation of 64-bit mobile processor, Core 2 Duo. Core 2 Duo processors are generally selling for the same price as Core Duos of the same speed, but offer performance gains due to the wider front-side bus.

The 945GM chipset with integrated graphics is sufficient for today's mainstream business use. All indications are that the 945GM chipset configured with 1GB of dual-channel memory will provide the full Vista user-interface experience for users. Business users who need enhanced graphics performance will require the 945PM chipset and a discrete graphics processor.

GUIDELINE-QUALIFIED STATE CONTRACT NOTEBOOK PCs
VENDOR	MOBILE WORKER	DAY EXTENDER (MAINSTREAM)	DAY EXTENDER (POWER)	VCCS	Link: (*)
Dell Latitude D820		ü	ü	contract link	State contract link
Dell Latitude ATG		ü		contract link	State contract link
Dell Latitude D620	ü	ü	ü¹	contract link	State contract link
Gateway M255-E	ü	ü		n/a	State contract link
Gateway M285-E		ü	ü²	n/a	State contract link
Gateway M485-E		ü	ü	n/a	State contract link
Gateway M685-E			ü³	n/a	State contract link
HP Compaq nc6320	ü⁴	ü		contract link	State contract link
HP Compaq nc6400	ü	ü	ü	contract link	State contract link
HP Compaq nc8430			ü	contract link	State contract link
HP Compaq nc8440			ü	contract link	State contract link
HP Compaq nx9420			ü⁵	contract link	State contract link
Lenovo Thinkpad Z61	ü	ü	ü⁶	n/a	State contract link
Lenovo Thinkpad T60	ü	ü	ü	n/a	State contract link

(*) May require valid vendor user account

Guideline deviations
(viable if meets specific user need):

¹ 14.1" WXGA

² 14.0" WXGA

³ 7.81 lb. (min.)

⁴ 6.06 lb. (min.)

⁵ 7.4 lb. (min.)

⁶ 14.1" WXGA

Warranty, Support, and Service:

Warranty:

Minimum three years parts warranty · Minimum three years labor warranty

Minimum three years Next Business Day parts delivery

Encloses documentation that fully explains the length, terms and conditions of the warranty and support services.

Support:

Technical Support, 24-hr, 7-day, Toll-Free

Internet e-mail and File access

World Wide Web support/access containing current product information, technical support documents, etc.

The vendor must supply the following phone numbers and Internet addresses where appropriate:

Technical Support #
E-mail Address
World Wide Web Address
Other (List)

Please Note:

Upon request, the vendor must be able to supply reference accounts where 200 or more such systems are installed in a networked environment.

All replacement components supplied by the vendor must be new and equivalent to those originally installed in the system.

The vendor must supply all requested documentation to aid in verifying and evaluating the proposed workstation, including, but not limited to, all questions raised in this document.

Upon request, the vendor must provide a test unit for a 30-day evaluation. Prospective vendor is responsible for all shipping charges.

The system units must be fully compatible with major manufacturer's network interface cards and network operating systems.

Miscellaneous:

Energy/Environmental:

System must be EPA Energy Star compliant.

System must be FCC class B approved.

Operating System:

Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

OS must be installed on the hard disk.

Must include the OS on CD-ROM, one per system.

Design/System Considerations:

Must provide all original hardware documentation and support software on the internal hard drive or CD-ROM.

System must be fully Plug-n-Play ready/compliant.

Entire system must be fully compatible with major network operating systems.

All computers purchased must be built with identical components.

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