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 5340	13.3 " Dell Latitude 5340 2-1	14" Dell Latitude 5440	13.3" Dell Latitude 7340	13.3 Dell Latitude 7340 2 in 1
Processor: 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1345U vPro (12 MB cache, 10 cores, up to 4.7 GHz) LCD: Laptop 13.3" FHD (1920x1080) Non-Touch, AG, IPS, 400 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP,SLP,ComfView+,WLAN/WWAN(4G) Camera: FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction,Camera Shutter,Mic Graphics: Intel 13th Generation Core i5-1345U vPro, 16GB LPDDR5 Memory, Intel Integrated Graphics, TBT4 Memory: 16GB LPDDR5/x Onboard Memory, 4800MT/s (dual channel) Hard Drive: 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 35 Wireless: Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2x2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Keyboard: English US backlit keyboard, 79-key Palm Rest: Single Pointing, No Palmrest Security Options Battery: 3- cell, 42Wh Battery, Long Life Cycle, Express Charge, 3-year warranty Power Supply: 65W AC Rugged adapter, USB Type-C, TCO Gen 9 compliant Warranty:  4 Years ProSupport Plus Device Specifications:  Latitude 5340 Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	Processor: 13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1345U vPro (12 MB cache, 10 cores, up to 4.7 GHz) LCD: 2-in-1 13.3" FHD (1920x1080) Touch, AR+AS,IPS, 300 nits,FHD IR Cam+IP, WLAN/WWAN(4G), Pen Supp, GGDX Camera: FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction,Camera Shutter,Mic Graphics: Intel 13th Generation Core i5-1345U vPro, 16GB LPDDR5 Memory, Intel Integrated Graphics, TBT4 Memory: 16GB LPDDR5/x Onboard Memory, 4800MT/s (dual channel) Hard Drive: 1 TB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 35 Wireless: Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2x2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Keyboard: English US backlit keyboard, 79-key Palm Rest: Single Pointing, No Palmrest Security Options Battery: 3- cell, 42Wh Battery, Long Life Cycle, Express Charge, 3-year warranty Power Supply: 65W AC Rugged adapter, USB Type-C, TCO Gen 9 compliant Warranty:  4 Years ProSupport Plus Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	Processor:  13th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1345U vPro (12 MB cache, 10 cores, up to 4.7 GHz) LCD: 14.0" FHD (1920x1080) Touch, AG, IPS, 300 nits, FHD IR Cam, WLAN/WWAN(4G) Camera:  FHD/IR Camera, Temporal Noise Reduction, Camera Shutter, Mic Graphics:  Intel 13th Generation Core i5-1345U vPro,Intel Integrated Graphics,TBT4 Memory:  16 GB, 1 x 16 GB, DDR4, 3200 MT/s, single-channel, Non-ECC Hard Drive:  512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 35 Wireless:  Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2x2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Keyboard:  English US backlit keyboard, 79-key Palm Rest: Single Pointing, No Palmrest Security Options Battery: 3- cell, 54Wh Battery, Long Life Cycle, Express Charge, 3-year warranty Power Supply:  65W AC adapter, USB Type-C, TCO Gen9 compliant Warranty:   4 Years ProSupport Plus Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	Processor:  13th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1345U, vPro® (12 MB cache, 10 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.70 GHz Turbo) LCD: Laptop 13.3" FHD+ (1920x1200) AG, No-Touch, WVA, 250 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP, WLAN, Aluminum Camera:  FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction,Camera Shutter,Mic Graphics:  Intel®Iris®Xe Graphics,i5-1345U vPro Processor,16GB LPDDR5 Memory Memory:  16 GB, LPDDR5, 4800 MT/s, integrated Hard Drive:  512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 35 Wireless:  Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2x2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Keyboard:  US-English battery-saving mini LED backlit keyboard, 79-Key Palm Rest:  No Security, WLAN only, Thunderbolt™4, Aluminum Battery: 3-cell, 57 Wh, Long Life Cycle, Express Charge™ Capable, 3-year warranty Power Supply:  65W AC adapter, USB Type-C, TCO Gen9 compliant Warranty:   4 Years ProSupport Plus Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	Processor:  13th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1345U, vPro® (12 MB cache, 10 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.70 GHz Turbo) LCD: 2-in-1 13.3" QHD+(2560x1600)AR+AS, Touch, ComfView+, WVA, 500 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP,WLAN,ALU,Pen supp. Camera:  FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction,Camera Shutter,Mic Graphics:  Intel®Iris®Xe Graphics,i5-1345U vPro Processor,16GB LPDDR5 Memory Memory:  16 GB, LPDDR5, 4800 MT/s, integrated Hard Drive:  512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 35 Wireless:  Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2x2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Keyboard:  US-English battery-saving mini LED backlit keyboard, 79-Key Palm Rest:  No Security, WLAN only, Thunderbolt™4, Aluminum Battery: 3-cell, 57 Wh, Long Life Cycle, Express Charge™ Capable, 3-year warranty Power Supply:  65W AC adapter, USB Type-C, TCO Gen9 compliant Warranty:   4 Years ProSupport Plus 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)

14" Dell Latitude 7440	14" Dell Latitude 7440 2 in 1	16" Latitude 7640	15.6" XPS 15 - 9530
Processor:  13th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1345U, vPro® (12 MB cache, 10 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.70 GHz Turbo) LCD: Laptop 14.0" FHD+ (1920x1200) AG, No-Touch, IPS, 250 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP, WLAN, Aluminum Camera:  FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction,Camera Shutter,Mic Graphics:  Intel®Iris®Xe Graphics,i5-1345U vPro Processor,16GB LPDDR5 Memory Memory:  16 GB, LPDDR5, 4800 MT/s, integrated Hard Drive:  512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 35 Wireless:  Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2x2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Keyboard:  English US battery-saving mini LED backlit keyboard, 79-key Palm Rest:  Palmrest, No Security, WLAN, Thunderbolt™4, Aluminum Battery: 3-cell, 57 Wh, Long Life Cycle, Express Charge™ Capable, 3-year warranty Power Supply:  65W AC adapter, USB Type-C, TCO Gen9 compliant Warranty:   4 Years ProSupport Plus Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	Processor:  13th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1345U, vPro® (12 MB cache, 10 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.70 GHz Turbo) LCD: 2-in-1 14.0" FHD+ (1920x1200)AR+AS,Touch, ComfView+,IPS,300 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP,WLAN,ALU,Pen support Camera:  FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction,Camera Shutter,Mic Graphics:  Intel®Iris®Xe Graphics,i5-1345U vPro Processor,16GB LPDDR5 Memory Memory:  16 GB, LPDDR5, 4800 MT/s, integrated Hard Drive:  512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 35 Wireless:  Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2x2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Keyboard:  English US battery-saving mini LED backlit keyboard, 79-key Palm Rest:  Palmrest, No Security, WLAN, Thunderbolt™4, Aluminum  Battery: 3-cell, 57 Wh, Long Life Cycle, Express Charge™ Capable, 3-year warranty Power Supply:  65W AC adapter, USB Type-C, TCO Gen9 compliant Warranty:   4 Years ProSupport Plus Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	Processor:  13th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-1345U, vPro® (12 MB cache, 10 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.70 GHz Turbo LCD: Laptop 16.0" FHD+ (1920x1200) AG, No-Touch, IPS, 250 nits, FHD IR Cam+IP, WLAN, Aluminum Camera:  FHD/IR Camera with ExpressSign-In + Intelligent Privacy, Temporal Noise Reduction,Camera Shutter,Mic Graphics:  Intel®Iris®Xe Graphics,i5-1345U vPro Processor,16GB LPDDR5 Memory Memory:  16 GB, LPDDR5, 4800 MT/s, integrated Hard Drive:  512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 35 Wireless:  Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211, 2x2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Keyboard:  English US battery-saving mini LED backlit keyboard, 79-key Palm Rest:  Palmrest, No Security, WLAN, Thunderbolt™4, Aluminum Battery: 3-cell, 57 Wh, Long Life Cycle, Express Charge™ Capable, 3-year warranty Power Supply:  65W AC adapter, USB Type-C, TCO Gen9 compliant Warranty:   4 Years ProSupport Plus Some Options can be Upgraded to better customize your system. Ask your IO purchaser to look in the Dell IO Punchout list	Processor:  13th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-13700H Processor (14-Core, 24MB Cache, up to 5.0 GHz) LCD: 15.6" FHD+ (1920 x 1200) InfinityEdge Non-Touch Anti-Glare 500-Nit Display Camera: 720p at 30 fps, HD camera Dual-array microphones  Graphics:  NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 4070 with 8 GB GDDR6 Memory:  16 GB, 2 x 8 GB, DDR5, 4800 MHz Hard Drive:  512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD Wireless:  Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 1675 (AX211), 2x2, 802.11ax, Bluetooth® wireless card Keyboard:  Backlit Black English Keyboard w/ Fingerprint Reader Palm Rest: Carbon Fiber Palm Rest Battery: 6 Cell, 86 Wh, integrated Power Supply:  130Watt Type-C Adapter Warranty:   4 Years ProSupport Plus   Intel vPro Technology Essentials Management Features 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

Apple Macintosh models have completely transitioned to the Apple-designed M-series processors.  As Apple typically releases a new processor every year and markets Macs with only the latest 3 processors, we recommend that new Mac buyers look to the latest 2 M-series processors when purchasing a new Mac. It is strongly recommended that the configuration meet the minimum requirements listed below. 

• 16GB RAM memory
• 256GB SSD (hard drive storage)
  

  Note that on all new Macs with Apple Silicon M-series chips, neither RAM memory nor drive storage can be upgraded after purchase. Be sure to order enough RAM and disk space to handle your needs for the life of the Mac.
  
  Full specifications on currently available Macs may be found here: https://www.apple.com/mac/

• MacBook Air 13"
• iMac 24"

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 Windows 11 was released on October 5, 2021. Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. 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. When shopping for Windows computers, be sure that they support Windows 11.

**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. Consult with the help desk to be sure that the device is properly prepared for removal from all Rice control. 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 older 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

Newer Macs may be reset to factory default (out of the box) status. 
•    Use System Settings / Transfer or Reset / Erase All Contents and Settings

** 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.