DoC Computing Support Group


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Dell Optiplex 980 Mini-Tower (MT); Intel [[http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=43546|Core i5-650]] processor (3.2Mhz dual-core with hyper-threading); 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 1GB nVIDIA [[http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/product_geforce_gt_330_uk.html|GeForce GT 330]] graphics card; 250GB SATA hard-drive. 668.47 pounds + VAT with a twenty-three inch Dell  [[http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=pad&cs=RC1050265&sku=425502|P2311H]] monitor; 560.47 pounds + VAT without. || Model: || Dell Optiplex 980 Mini-Tower (MT) ||
|| Processor: ||
Intel [[http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=43546|Core i5-650]] (3.2Mhz dual-core with hyper-threading) ||
|| RAM: ||
8GB of DDR3 RAM ||
|| Graphics Card: ||
1GB nVIDIA [[http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/product_geforce_gt_330_uk.html|GeForce GT 330]] ||
|| Hard Disk: ||
250GB SATA hard-drive ||
|| Price £
668.47 + VAT with a twenty-three inch Dell [http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=pad&cs=RC1050265&sku=425502|P2311H]] monitor; £560.47 + VAT with no monitor ||
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An authorised funds-holder must contact either the [[mailto:finance.officer@doc.ic.ac.uk|departmental finance officer]] or [[mailto:help@doc.ac.uk|CSG]] (as appropriate), providing a full, quoted specification and price as well as an account code to which to charge the purchase. An authorised funds-holder must contact either the [[mailto:finance.officer@doc.ic.ac.uk|departmental finance officer]] ([[mailto:finance.officer@doc.ic.ac.uk|finance.officer@doc.ic.ac.uk]]) or [[mailto:help@doc.ac.uk|CSG]] (as appropriate), providing a full, quoted specification and price as well as an account code to which to charge the purchase.
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In terms of Linux support, please check the notebook manufacturer's web-sites as well as more-general [[http://tuxmobil.org/mylaptops.html|web-pages]] and [[http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/linux-laptop.html|wikis]]. In terms of Linux support, please check the notebook manufacturer's web-sites as well as more-general [[http://tuxmobil.org/mylaptops.html|web-pages]] and [[http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/linux-laptop.html|wikis]] (see also [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport|here]]).

Computer purchase and support

Synopsis:

CSG Desktop 1:

Model:

Dell Optiplex 980 Mini-Tower (MT)

Processor:

Intel Core i5-650 (3.2Mhz dual-core with hyper-threading)

RAM:

8GB of DDR3 RAM

Graphics Card:

1GB nVIDIA GeForce GT 330

Hard Disk:

250GB SATA hard-drive

Price £668.47 + VAT with a twenty-three inch Dell [http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=pad&cs=RC1050265&sku=425502|P2311H]] monitor; £560.47 + VAT with no monitor

CSG Desktop 2: HP Compaq 8100 Elite CMT PC; Intel Core i5-650 processor; 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 512MB nVIDIA GeForce GT 310 graphics card; 500GB SATA hard-drive. 491.70 pounds + VAT without monitor.

CSG Notebook 1: Lenovo Thinkpad X100e 3508; AMD Turion Neo X2 L625 processor; 3GB of DDR3 RAM; ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 Shared Video Memory GPU; 320 GB 5400 rpm SATA hard-drive; 11.6" TFT; 1.5Kg. 347.16 pounds + VAT from BT Business Direct

An authorised funds-holder must contact either the departmental finance officer (finance.officer@doc.ic.ac.uk) or CSG (as appropriate), providing a full, quoted specification and price as well as an account code to which to charge the purchase.

Desktop PCs

CSG currently support the following PC-compatible desktop computers, installations of which can be found throughout the department:

  • Dell Optiplex 780 and 980.

  • HP Compaq 7X00 and 8000 series.

Older model computers (such as Shuttles and earlier Dell/HP Compaq desktops) may also be found in the department but these are end-of-life. The currently-available models are the Optiplex 980 and HP Compaq 8000 range.

If you wish to purchase a Dell Optiplex 980, CSG has a limited stock of these computers models available 'in-house'. Please see above for specification and pricing. You can purchase one of these computers through a journal transfer: please e-mail help@doc.ic.ac.uk for further inquiries.

If you wish to purchase an HP Compaq 8000 series computer, you can do so by visiting the ICT purchasing page (college log-in required). The 'Products' link on the left-hand side of that page allows one to choose specifications on HP desktops and other related hardware. A specification tested above and for which CSG guarantee support is given above. More-general prices are available on the purchasing page. If you want to buy these computers, you must:

  • obtain a complete, quoted specification and price via the ICT purchasing web-site;
  • obtain an account code to which to charge the purchase, along with the authorisation of the funds-holder for that account;
  • get the funds-holder to e-mail all of the above information to the departmental finance officer.

CSG support the departmental versions of Windows Vista/7 and Ubuntu Linux 8.04/9.04/10.04 on the Optiplex 780, 980 and HP Compaq 7900 and 8000 series computers. In principle, any modern PC-compatible should work with the DoC OS installs but please note that we can only provide support for the computers listed above. It would not be realistic for us to either test or support all existing PC models. We strongly recommend, therefore, that you purchase conventional desktop PCs through us or ICT if you want guaranteed support.

Notebook PCs

The DoC OS installs are primarily for desktop computers. If you wish to purchase a notebook computer for college use (that is, using grant or research funding), please note that HP is the preferred supplier for all such equipment. If you want to buy a notebook from a non college-approved supplier, college central purchasing may ask you to demonstrate that the equivalent configuration is not available through the ICT purchasing page. CSG cannot help you make such cases: if you have in mind a particular notebook, you should have the facts to hand in order to justify the purchase. Please note that Apple Macintosh computers do not fall under this rule (see below).

It is still possible to buy notebooks from college-approved suppliers such as BT Business Direct and Dell. Simply obtain a full Quicklinx code or full specification, price and quote for the product in question and arrange for the relevant funds holder to send this information to the departmental finance officer along with an account code to which the purchase should be charged.

Most notebooks (and indeed desktops) are certified to support current Windows OSes. If you want to put a different Windows OS on a purchased notebook, please use DoC MSDNAA: all current members of the department should have access to this. If you have any queries about the MSDNAA service, e-mail help@doc.ic.ac.uk. You can also download and install software (such as an anti-virus client and Microsoft Office) from the ICT Software Shop. You can install this software yourself: CSG do not have sufficient resources to do ad hoc software installations on arbitrary users' computers.

In terms of Linux support, please check the notebook manufacturer's web-sites as well as more-general web-pages and wikis (see also here).

The key features in terms of notebook use in the department are Wi-Fi, 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet and disk-space. Most modern notebooks meet these specifications so you need only check that they work reliably under your OS of choice.

Wi-Fi can be obtained automatically: please use either the Imperial-WPA SSID or the deprecated IC-DoC SSID. If you wish to register a notebook for use through wired Ethernet, please e-mail help@doc.ic.ac.uk.

Here is a brief list of notebooks on which CSG have successfully installed and tested Ubuntu Linux (8.04, 9.04 or 10.04; netbook remix or desktop):

Apple Macintoshes

If you wish to buy an Apple Macintosh (desktop, notebook or accessories), please visit the Apple UK store web-page, and select the 'Education store' link on the left-hand side of the page. After selecting the 'Choose your university' button, choose 'London' for region and 'Imperial College' for institution. You will then get educational prices on items. Once you have chosen your desired Apple items, you should obtain a quote (you may need to sign up for an Apple ID). You should then ask the relevant funds-holder to send the departmental finance officer:

  • the full specification and quote (the 'W quote number' is essential) for the Apple item(s) in question;
  • the full contact information (e-mail and contact number) for the individual making the quote (this person will be contacted in case Apple request or supply further information about the order);
  • an account code to which the purchase should be charged.

We remind you that CSG provide limited support for Apple Macintoshes at present - please see here. We are in the process, however, of arranging for an ICT Mac OS installation overlay to be made available in the department. The overlay will be applied to a 'vanilla' Mac OS Snow Leopard install and will include a set of common applications and utilities.

Rack servers

If you wish to purchase rack-mount computers for installation in the departmental machine room (Huxley 221), please e-mail help@doc.ic.ac.uk beforehand. This will not only allow us to ensure that the machines can be properly accommodated but also enable us to get competitive quotes through our supplier contacts.

General

You will need to inform CSG of the hardware Ethernet address for the primary network interface (NIC) on any purchased computer that you wish to use on the departmental/college network. If you choose to install your own OS on your computer, we will put your computer on an 'untrusted' sub-net as a security measure. A computer on the untrusted sub-net has limited visibility beyond the college network.

If you buy your own computer, please note that CSG cannot provide hardware support in the event of malfunction. You will instead have to avail yourself of whatever warranty arrangements were made at the point of purchase.

If you have queries about any of the above, please e-mail help@doc.ic.ac.uk.

 
 

guides/computerpurchase (last edited 2017-04-03 14:01:04 by dcw)