Information about the campus configurations for faculty, staff, and computer lab facilities at Colgate.
ITS tests hardware and software for compatibility and functionality to offer recommendations that will meet the campus' computing needs.
These hardware recommendations reflect Colgate and industry trends. Colgate's ITS office budgets for a primary computer per employee every 4 years.
These are the minimum recommendations from ITS, meeting the needs of most users for typical daily tasks. Users with specific or advanced computing needs should contact ITS for upgrade options as needed.
Our Windows fleet features enterprise-grade Dell Pro laptops and desktops. These models are updated regularly with the latest generation of Intel processors to provide maximum longevity, security, and compatibility.
14" Dell Pro 14: Our standard recommendation, providing the ideal everyday mix of comfortable screen size and easy portability.
Dell Pro Slim Desktop Form Factor
Our Apple hardware offerings are regularly refreshed to feature the most current generation of Apple Silicon (M-Series) architecture, ensuring long-term performance for academic and administrative workloads.
13" MacBook Air: Our standard recommendation, providing the ideal everyday mix of comfortable screen size and easy portability.
Campus Configurations:
Available Options:
24'' iMac
Mac mini
Provided upon request, one per user
We currently partner with Dell and the rest of the New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium schools for consortial pricing which enables us to acquire better machines for less. In addition to this partnership we have service contracts with Dell and Apple which allow us to repair Colgate-owned devices on premise and give us access to premium support with these vendors.
For information about supported software, see:
In making any purchasing decision for computer hardware, in general a college student should consider the battery life of the device, a device that is lightweight, and one that has a fast CPU. When looking at your individual preferences, you may want to consider if one wants to take handwritten notes, or use a computer/tablet hybrid (also called convertibles or 2-in-1 combination units) to take notes.
Below are some of the minimum specs you might want to consider.
Processor
Windows - Intel Core 5 or greater | AMD Ryzen Series
Macs - M3 or newer
Memory
16 GB or greater
Storage
256 GB (perhaps more for large or heavy media or graphic design work)
Note on storage: use a cloud storage such as Google Drive. That way if your laptop needs repair you can access your files from another computer.
Size
11"-12" thinnest and lightest
13"-14" balanced approach (balances performance with size)
15"-16" larger size, but will also come in as being heavier than the rest (consider this if you plan on graphic or film editing)
Other Considerations
Printers
Students do not need to bring a printer to campus. We offer free printing on campus with some spaces available 24/7. Consumer-grade printers won't work wirelessly on our campus network.
Scanning is also offered at several of our public labs and workspaces.
Software
Check out what you are eligible for at no cost before purchasing any software. You can also see what's available in our public computing labs.
Need more help? Contact the ITS Service Desk.
If you are unable to find the information you need in the documentation available online, the ITS Service Desk is available to assist.