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School of Medicine Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Medical Center

Computer Support

Purchasing Recommendations


Lenovo laptops from G2GMobile

VCU Technology Services, working with Lenovo, maker of the award-winning ThinkPad computers, has developed the G2GMobile program for VCU students. There are many advantages to getting one of the new Lenovo ThinkPad computers, including special pricing, ThinkPad Protection, on-campus service, loaner computers and all software most students need.

Dell computers

The School of Medicine has recommended computer models on Dell’s website. You will need a Dell account created and be added to the School of Medicine group in order view these models. Please email Branson Reeves, Dell Account Representative at:Branson_Reeves@Dell.com. The specifications of these models are listed below under Recommended Equipment.

IT Support Analysts (ISAs) are Dell Certified, and we recommend that VCU faculty and staff purchase Dell computers for the following reasons:

  • We can provide better support for Dell, as our certifications enable us to order replacement parts for equipment that is under warranty. Replacement parts are usually shipped within 24 hours.
  • As more departments standardize their purchases, our support and response times will improve due to greater consistency.
  • Dell offers special discounts to government and higher education institutions. See the VCU Procurement Web site for more Information about purchasing from Dell.

Hewlett Packard printers

We recommend the use of Hewlett Packard printers. In our experience with various manufacturers, we have found HP printers to be the most reliable, cost effective and well-supported printers in the market today.

We recommend laser printers over inkjets because they are more reliable and can handle higher demands. Inkjet printers are better suited for home use.

Please note that we only offer support for installation and basic troubleshooting of printers. All other printer issues must be referred to an office equipment repair specialist.

Current Dell Configurations

Dell Optiplex desktops and Latitude notebooks are offered in several configurations. The configurations include mid and high-end range models. The configuration you choose depends on your processing requirements.

All configurations have at four gigabytes of RAM for the following reasons:

  • Better performance
  • Upgradability to newer operating systems
  • Faster response time for accessing data
  • Multitasking performance is increased
  • Inexpensive RAM

VCUHS Workstations

If you intend to purchase a new computer, you should purchase a VCUHS workstation if either of these conditions is true:

  • You need access to the VCUHS file storage domain.
  • Your office is located in the clinical buildings on the VCUHS network.

If you do not require a VCUHS workstation, we recommend one of the Dell computers listed below under Recommended equipment.

VCUHS workstations are supported by the VCUHS Help Desk so if you need assistance with one of these workstations, please contact them at 828-6447.

For more information on purchasing a VCUHS workstation visit:

Note: Access to hospital secure network is limited.

Microsoft Office and other software purchases

To purchase Microsoft products, please contact the Software House International (SHI) Sales Team for a quote. Please see the current pricing of the mostly used business software products. SHI manages the VITA contract for the Commonwealth of Virginia. For all other details, please visit VCU Procurement and Purchasing Web site.

Software House International (SHI) Sales Team

Erik Schroeder
VA Account Executive
Phone: (732) 564-8217
Toll Free: (800) 527-6389 ext 8217
Fax: (732) 564-8218
E-mail: erik_schroeder@shi.com

Justine Basquill
Inside Sales
Phone: (732) 564-8294
Toll Free: (800) 477-6479 ext:8294
Fax: (732) 564-8218
E-mail: Justine_Basquill@shi.com

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Recommended equipment

Updated 07/18/10. Prices associated with the quotes are subject to change

Equipment type Make/Model Specifications
Low-End Desktop Mac 21.5" View specs
Mid-Range Desktop Dell Optiplex 780 Minitower
iMac 27"
View specs
View specs
High-End Desktop Dell Optiplex 980 Minitower
Mac Pro
View specs
View specs
Low-End Laptop MacBook Pro 13" View specs
Mid-Range Laptop Dell Latitude E5410
MacBook Pro 15"
View specs
View specs
High-End Laptop Dell Latitude E6510
MacBook Pro 17"
View specs
View specs
Tablet Dell Latitude XT2 View specs
Lightweight Laptop

Dell Latitude 13"

MacBook Air

View specs

View specs

Desktop B&W Laser Printer HP Laserjet P2305 View specs
Desktop Color Laser Printer HP Color LaserJet CP1510 View specs
Network Color Laser Printer HP Color Laserjet CP4005n View specs
Network Color Laser Printer Xerox Phaser 8560 View specs
Network Laser Printer HP Laserjet P4014n View specs

USB Flash Drive (Windows and Apple Compatible)

IronKey Enterprise S200 Secured Encrypted 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB

When viewing a GIF image, click on the image for a larger view.

View full list of Mac recommendations.