Scenario: I Need a New Computer
or I Need a Computer Upgrade
Students are not required to bring a computer to Rice (see our classrooms and labs page). However, about 80% of undergraduate students do bring a personal computer to campus. Their 2006 preferences were Windows (84%), Macintosh (13%) and Linux (3%).
For faculty and staff, office and classroom computers are usually supplied by each department.
Rice employees and students (including admitted freshmen) are eligible for Rice's educational discounts on hardware, software, and other information technology tools found in the Technology Marketplace.
Getting Started
- What does Rice recommend I get? Recommended hardware specifications can be found in Technology Marketplace.
- Where do I get the best deal? Note: Some online vendor's specials may beat prices found in the Technology Marketplace.
- Do the deals in the Technology Marketplace apply just to the preconfigured options? Rice's educational discounts are applied to all purchases in the vendor's site; the preconfigured options just make it easier for non-technical customers to purchase a standard machine.
- How do I know which upgrade is right? Contact the Help Desk for assistance: helpdesk @ rice.edu; http://helpdesk.rice.edu, or 713-348-HELP(4357).
- If I have questions on how to order who do I talk to? Contact the Help Desk for assistance: helpdesk @ rice.edu; http://helpdesk.rice.edu, or 713-348-HELP(4357).
