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Recommended Technology for Faculty and Staff

Recommended Technology for Faculty and Staff

Owned by asniadach
Last updated: Nov 05, 2024 by David Toothe

DoIT encourages faculty or staff to consider a laptop, but understands that some people prefer a desktop. As part of our commitment to support the use of technology on campus please see the following resources:

  • Software Downloads (note requires you log in with your myUMBC.EDU account. We have site licenses for faculty and staff to use.
  • Virtual Computer Lab - if you are teaching, please be aware students may access our specialized course software from their own computer.
  • Cloud storage through Box or Google Drive. UMBC provides 25 GB of storage on box.com for each account, more upon request. We also provision all everyone with a Google drive account.
  • Blackboard - Getting started for Faculty
  • Email and Calendar - Using Email and Calendar applications at UMBC.
  • Getting support - Submitting a request ticket or contacting the Technology Support Center


PCs

Laptop

  • Core i7 or higher Processor
  • 16 GB RAM (minimum)
  • 256 GB (minimum) solid state hard drive
  • Internal NIC (network card)
  • Touch enabled screen (optional)
  • Full HD webcam
  • Video card capable of HDMI video 
  • WIFI 802.11 ax (6E) + Bluetooth (internal)
  • TPM 2.0 Enabled 
  • 3 year next business day onsite warranty with accidental damage protection
  • PXE boot Ethernet adapter if the laptop does not have an Ethernet port

Recommended models include: 14 inch Dell Latitude 5450 or 7450, Mobile Precision 3590 (also an option with a GPU), and the Mobile Precision 5490

Desktop

Minimum Specs

  • Core i7 Processor
  • 16 GB RAM (minimum)
  • 256 GB (minimum) solid state hard drive.
  • HDMI capable Video Card
  • TPM 2.0 Enabled 
  • 3 year next business day onsite warranty
  • DVD +/- RW 
  • Internal NIC (network card)
  • Dual band wireless in All-in-One models

Recommended models include: Dell OptiPlex 7020 Mini Tower and OptiPlex 7420 All-in-One (include dual-band wireless)

Apple

Laptop

  • Apple M4 Processor or M4 Pro for MacBook Pro; Apple M3 Processor for MacBook Air
  • 16 GB of RAM (minimum)
  • 256 GB solid state hard drive (minimum)
  • AppleCare+ (3 or 4 year) for warranty protection which includes accidental damage
  • Recommended that Faculty purchase an USB-C to HDMI video adapter for use in classrooms if not 14-inch+ MacBook Pro (integrated HDMI port)

Recommended models include: 14 inch MacBook Pro (integrated HDMI port), 13 inch MacBook Air (M3)

Desktop

Minimum Specs

  • Apple M4 Processor 
  • 16 GB of RAM (minimum)
  • 256 GB solid state hard drive (minimum)
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • AppleCare+ (3 or 4 year) for warranty protection which includes accidental damage

Recommended models include: iMac 24 inch M4 with Retina 4.5 K display.  

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