Hardware Support Lifecycle

Contents

• Rice Standard Hardware Recommendations and Support
  • Dell Laptops
  • Dell Desktops
  • Apple Macintosh Computers (all)
  • Warranty
  • Absolute Resilience (loss and theft tracking)
• Computer Lifecycle Replacement
• Printer Recommendations (purchasing and leasing)
• Equipment Disposal

Rice Standard Hardware Recommendations

Rice OIT-managed device support services are listed below.

• Procurement advice/quotes
• Computer deployment, setup, and troubleshooting
• Facilitation of warranty repair
• Data encryption
• Proactive patching
• Connecting to a printer
• Network configuration
• Software installation
• Remote Desktop configuration
• Security Incident management
• Removal from Rice endpoint management tools and secure erasure at the disposal

OIT has established standards for Rice-owned machines. Non-standard machines are not capable of centralized management which provides for patching, maintenance, and monitoring for security vulnerabilities and ultimately, can represent a risk to the university if not properly maintained. In some cases, OIT may not be able to facilitate hardware repair for non-standard devices. Formal Rice policy currently states that all who gather, store, transmit, or have access to university data require encryption and password protection. More information is available in Rice University Policy 808.

OIT’s hardware offerings include business-class rather than consumer-targeted solutions. Business computers are built with higher-quality components that are tested more rigorously with an emphasis on durability. Parts used for consumer computers may be more generic or even cheap, while computers designed for professional use more often include higher-grade materials and name-brand parts.

Dell Laptops (Windows Only)

13.3" Dell Latitude 5330	13.3 " Dell Latitude 5330 2-1	14" Dell Latitude 5430	14" Dell Latitude 7430	13.3 Dell Latitude 7330
12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1245U, vPro® Enterprise (12 MB cache, 10 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.40 GHz 13.3" FHD (1920x1080) AG, SLP, Non-Touch, ComfortView+, WVA, 400 nit, FHD IR Cam, WWAN FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter, Mic i5-1245U vPro, Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Thunderbolt, 16GB RAM Windows 10 Enterprise(Windows 11 Capable) 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40 Intel AX211 WiFi 6e 2x2 AX+ BT 5.2 Palmrest, No Fingerprint, No SmartCard, Thunderbolt 4 Single Pointing Backlit US-English Keyboard 3 Cell, 41 Wh, Express Charge Capable Battery 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Optional: Dell Services: Absolute Security - Standard** Device Specifications found Here $1,562.52  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1245U, vPro® Enterprise (12 MB cache, 10 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.40 GHz 2-in-1, 13.3" FHD (1920x1080) AG, Touch, WVA, 300 nits, FHD IR Cam, WLAN, Pen support, Gorilla Glass FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter, Mic i5-1245U vPro, Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Thunderbolt, 16GB RAM Windows 10 Enterprise(Windows 11 Capable) 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40 Intel AX211 WiFi 6e 2x2 AX+ BT 5.2 Palmrest, Fingerprint Reader Only, Thunderbolt 4 Single Pointing Backlit US-English Keyboard 3 Cell, 41 Wh, Express Charge Capable Battery 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Optional: Dell Services: Absolute Security - Standard** Device Specifications are found here  $1,666.51  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1235U, vPro® Essentials (12 MB cache, 10 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.40 GHz 14.0" FHD (1920x1080) Anti Glare, Non-Touch, WVA, 250 nits, FHD IR Camera+Intelligent Privacy, WLAN FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter, Mic i5-1235U Trans, Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Thunderbolt 16 GB, 1 x 16 GB, DDR4, 3200 MHz Windows 10 Enterprise(Windows 11 Capable) 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40 Intel AX211 WiFi 6e 2x2 AX+ BT 5.2 Palmrest, SmartCard, FingerPrint Reader, Thunderbolt 4 Single Point Keyboard, Backlit, US English 4 Cell, 58 Wh, Long Life Cycle 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Optional: Dell Services: Absolute Security - Standard** Device Specifications are found here $1,526/79  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1235U, vPro® Essentials (12 MB cache, 10 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.40 GHz 14.0" FHD (1920x1080) Anti Glare, Non-Touch, WVA, 250 nits, FHD IR Camera+Intelligent Privacy, WLAN FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter, Mic i5-1235U Trans, Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, Thunderbolt 16 GB, 1 x 16 GB, DDR4, 3200 MHz Windows 10 Enterprise(Windows 11 Capable) 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40 Intel AX211 WiFi 6e 2x2 AX+ BT 5.2 Palmrest, SmartCard, FingerPrint Reader, Thunderbolt 4 Single Point Keyboard, Backlit, US English 4 Cell, 58 Wh, Long Life Cycle 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Optional: Dell Services: Absolute Security - Standard** Device Specifications are found here $1,414.27  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	12th Gen. Intel® Core™ i5-1245U (10 Core, 12 MB Cache, 12 Threads, up to 4.40 GHz, vPro® Enterprise) Laptop 13.3" FHD (1920x1080) AG, No-Touch, WVA, 250 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP, WLAN, Carbon Fiber FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter,Mic Integrated Intel®Iris® XE Graphics for i5-1245U vPro Processor with 16GB DDR4 Memory for Laptop Windows 10 Enterprise(Windows 11 Capable) 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40 Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 2x2 802.11ax 160MHz + Bluetooth 5.2 Palmrest, Fingerprint Reader, Carbon Fiber, Thunderbolt™4 Single Pointing Backlit US-English Keyboard 4 Cell, 58 Wh, Long Life Cycle 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Optional: Dell Services: Absolute Security - Standard** Device Specifications found here $1,457.65  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list

Dell Laptops Continued (Windows Only)

13.3" Dell Latitude 7330 2 in 1	14" Dell Latitude 7430 2 in 1	15" Latitude 7530	XPS 15 - 9520	XPS 13 - 9320
12th Gen. Intel® Core™ i5-1245U (10 Core, 12 MB Cache, 12 Threads, up to 4.40 GHz, vPro® Enterprise) 2-in-1, 13.3" FHD (1920x1080) AR+AS, SLP, Touch, WVA, 300 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP, WLAN, AL, Pen support FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter, Mic Integrated Intel®Iris® XE Graphics for i5-1245U vPro Processor with 16GB DDR4 Memory for 2-in-1 Windows 10 Enterprise(Windows 11 Capable) 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40 Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 2x2 802.11ax 160MHz + Bluetooth 5.2 Palmrest, Fingerprint Reader, Aluminum, No SIM slot, Thunderbolt™4 Single Pointing Backlit US-English Keyboard 4 Cell, 58 Wh, Long Life Cycle 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Optional: Dell Services: Absolute Security - Standard** Device Specifications are found here $1,820.23  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	12th Gen. Intel® Core™ i5-1245U (10 Core, 12 MB Cache, 12 Threads, up to 4.40 GHz, vPro® Enterprise) 2-in-1, 14.0" FHD (1920x1080) AR+AS, SLP, Touch, WVA, 300 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP, WLAN, CF, Pen support FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter, Mic Integrated Intel®Iris® XE Graphics for i5-1245U vPro Processor with 16GB DDR4 Memory for 2-in-1 16 GB, DDR4, 3200 MHz, integrated Windows 10 Enterprise(Windows 11 Capable) 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40 Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 2x2 802.11ax 160MHz + Bluetooth 5.2 Palmrest, No Security, Carbon Fiber, Thunderbolt™4 Single Point keyboard English US with backlit 4 Cell, 58 Wh, Long Life Cycle 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Optional: Dell Services: Absolute Security - Standard** Device Specifications found he $1,486.34  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	12th Gen. Intel® Core™ i5-1245U (10 Core, 12 MB Cache, 12 Threads, up to 4.40 GHz, vPro® Enterprise) 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) AG, Touch and  Non-Touch, WVA, 250 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP, WLAN, Carbon Fiber. FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter, Mic Integrated Intel®Iris® Xe Graphics for i5-1245U vPro Processor with 16GB DDR4 Memory 16 GB, DDR4, 3200 MHz, integrated Windows 10 Enterprise(Windows 11 Capable) 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 35 Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211 2x2 802.11ax 160MHz + Bluetooth 5.2 Palmrest, Fingerprint Reader, Carbon Fiber, Thunderbolt™4 4 Cell, 58 Wh, Long Cycle Life Battery 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Optional: Dell Services: Absolute Security - Standard** Device Specifications Found Here $1,290.16  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700H (24 MB cache, 14 cores, 20 threads, up to 4.70 GHz Turbo) 15.6", FHD+ 1920x1200, 60Hz, Touch or Non-Touch, Anti-Glare, 500 nit, InfinityEdge 720p at 30 fps, HD camera Dual-array microphones NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3050 4GB GDDR6 [40W] 16 GB, 2 x 8 GB, DDR5, 4800 MHz, dual-channel 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD  Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 1675 (AX211) 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.2 Wireless Card 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Device Specifications Found Here $2,273.80  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	12th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-1260P (18MB Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 12 cores) 13.4", FHD+ 1920x1200, 60Hz, Touch, Anti-Glare, 500 nits, InfinityEdge 720p at 30 fps, HD camera Dual-array microphones  Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics 16 GB, LPDDR5, 5200 MHz, integrated, dual-channel 512 GB, M.2, Gen 4 PCIe, SSD  Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6E 1675 (AX211) 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.2 Wireless Card 4 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service Trusted Platform Module (Discrete TPM Enabled)* Device Specifications Found Here $2.063.15  -Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list

Recommended Specifications for Apple Macintosh computers

Currently, Apple Macintosh models are undergoing a transition from using Intel Core i-series processors to the Apple-designed M1 series processors.  Any Macintosh can be purchased; however, M1s are recommended at this time and it is recommended that the configuration meet the minimum requirements listed below. 

Note that on all Macs with M1 chips, neither RAM memory nor drive storage is upgradeable after purchase. 

• a minimum of 16GB RAM
• 256GB SSD (hard drive)

• MacBook Air 13"
• MacBook Pro 13", 14" & 16"
• iMac 24"
• Mac mini

• iMac 27" (Intel Core i)
• Mac Pro (intel Xeon)

Warranty

Rice standard Dell machines include a 4-Year Pro Support Plus warranty with Next Business Day Onsite Service and accidental damage coverage. Dell onsite service is provided at the location of the asset (including at home and Dell service areas across the continental U.S.) which is a major benefit to the Rice community. Dell also currently provides the option of extending the warranty to 5 years.

Apple computer warranty support also provides a 4 Year warranty that includes accidental damage coverage. Warranty repair is managed via shipping for laptops or customers can take either desktop or laptop Macs to be serviced at an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

By adhering to recommended standards, customers will experience less downtime should hardware issues occur and with the warranty in place, the department can better plan for the lifecycle replacement of machines as part of the budgeting process.

Hardware no longer under warranty may require technical assistance from a 3rd party vendor as well as incurring a cost for parts/repair.

* Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

Microsoft was recently released on October 1, 2021. Although it has yet to become mainstream, Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 requires a TPM version 2.0 chip. Hardware that does not include the TPM 2.0 chip may be prevented from upgrading and/or receiving Microsoft security updates.

**Absolute 

Absolute is the industry standard for endpoint security and resilience. In the event of loss or theft of a device, Absolute provides protections such as the ability to freeze a device, perform remote erasures of data, as well as recover services for lost and stolen devices. 

It is recommended that Absolute be purchased at the same time as the device quote and purchase. Doing so will provide automated activation and protection. Licenses for Absolute should be purchased for the same number of years as the warranty that is selected. Rice standard machines include a 4-year warranty. 

Note: If Absolute licensing is purchased separately from the device purchase, your license must be registered with OIT to enable the protection. Please contact the OIT Help Desk for assistance. 

Printer Recommendations

For questions or guidance on purchasing a printer, please contact the OIT Help Desk. 

Rice has established relationships with preferred suppliers for either purchase or lease of large-capacity Multi-Function Devices (MFDs)  that provide support for Scan/Fax/Print/Copy functions.  

Computer Lifecycle Replacement

OIT recommends that computers be replaced every four to five years, a duration that corresponds to industry benchmarks for the useful life of laptop and desktop computer systems. Following these guidelines will reduce potential risks to both Rice University's work and research.

When planning for lifecycle replacement, the warranty period should ideally reflect the number of years the device is intended to be in use.

Please note that obsolescence is driven by several factors outside of OIT’s control and is directly related to the age of the hardware, security compliance, and vendor software requirements.

Systems that are not capable of running a supported Operating System (OS) may be subject to removal from the Rice University network. Self-managed machines may also have limited access to Rice network resources. 

Disposal

All Rice-owned computers transitioning to another employee or requiring permanent disposal will need to be re-imaged or in the case of disposal, securely erased (OIT has a tool for this purpose). Please contact the OIT Help Desk for assistance.  

In the event that a Rice-owned device is to be transferred for personal use, the device will need to be removed from Rice endpoint management and all Rice licensed software removed. The recipient of the erased computer is fully responsible for the re-installation of software and configuration, including the Operating System (OS). Details are below. 

Transitioning a Computer for Personal Use

Apple Computers
The Macintosh Operating System is licensed to the device and a restore is readily accessible. For Macs, run recovery to install the  Mac OS
•    Press Command + R to install previously installed Mac OS
•    Press Command + Option + R to install the latest Mac OS that will function on the Mac

** Note: if the Mac does not respond to these commands, that indicates it is not capable of running a supported Operating System and should be submitted for disposal.

Windows Computers
For Windows computers and due to licensing restrictions, the Rice Enterprise Windows Operating System license will need to be removed.  In most situations, the original Windows OS that was installed at the time of purchase can be restored; however, depending on the age of the device, the computer may have originally come with an Operating System that has been deemed end of life and is no longer supported by Microsoft. 

If needed, the vendor can also typically provide a disk with the Operating System software. 

If the individual receiving this device is a current Rice employee or student, software, including Microsoft Office and the Windows Operating System, may be available for purchase/download using Rice on the Hub. A KB article provides instructions that outline the eligibility and how to purchase/download.  Prior to purchasing software, make sure to verify compatibility with the hardware and also note that software available from Rice on the Hub is subject to change. 

See Also:

• What is Endpoint Management?
• Endpoint (PC and Mac) Automated Security Patching
• Operating System Support Lifecycle
• Support for Personal Computers/Mobile Devices
• Endpoint On and Off-Boarding