Things to Consider when Buying a Laptop

Do not buy a laptop solely on the basis of price. There are a number of laptop vendors and the industry is highly competitive. Purchase a computer with high quality parts, service, and support. Your laptop is an essential tool and purchasing one that will last and give you little trouble is well worth the additional expense.

Before you rush into purchasing an external monitor, keyboard, mice, docking station, or other peripheral devices, you should use your laptop for a few days to see how well you adjust to it. Many laptop users find these peripherals unnecessary and not a wise use of money.

Repairing a laptop can be costly. Purchasing a good warranty which includes screen, parts and labor is a good investment to keep your laptop functioning properly. It is also a good idea to check your homeowners or renters insurance to see if it will cover claims against a laptop.

UW-Eau Claire Discount Packages

Lenovo
UW-Eau Claire College of Business has negotiated a special educational pricing package with Lenovo for a top-of-the-line, business-class laptop. We believe the quality and reliability of this computer far outweighs machines from other vendors. For more information, call Matt McCarthy, the college's Lenovo sales representative, at 866.436.0486 x27075.

» Click here for special pricing on Lenovo products

Dell
UW-Eau Claire has negotiated educational pricing on Dell computers for faculty/staff/student personal purchases. Our member ID is KS29215843.

» Click here for special pricing on Dell products

Apple
Apple offers standard academic discounts to UW-Eau Claire for faculty/staff/student personal purchases. A Macintosh that can run Windows will meet the college's minimum computing requirements. Learn how to run Windows on your Mac.

» Click here for special pricing on Apple products

Already Own a PC?

Do you already own a laptop PC? Make sure it meets the College of Business’ minimum computing specifications.

Want to upgrade an already purchased PC? We suggest you first purchase additional RAM, then increase the size of the hard drive. These upgrade items will most affect enhanced performance.

What about a Mac?

For students within the College of Business who already own an Apple laptop but are required to have access to a laptop running Windows, there are a few options you can pursue to meet this requirement.

Option 1: Boot Camp
Boot Camp is an Apple application that allows users to run both Windows and Mac on the same piece of hardware.

Requirement: Intel Processor

» Learn more about Boot Camp

Option 2: VMware Fusion/Parallels
VMware Fusion and Parallels are two products that an Apple user can purchase to install on the Mac operating system. Both applications allow users to run Windows within an application through the Mac OS.

NOTE: When running the Windows OS through the Mac OS, this process is very hardware intensive and users may experience slow performance.

Requirements: Intel Processor, Minimum 2GB of RAM, and 400MB of Free Disk Space

» Learn more VMware Fusion
» Learn more about Parallels

Need a Printer?

While printers are available on campus, the College of Business recommends that you purchase a portable or desktop printer for added convenience.

Need Software?

The College of Business recommends you use Microsoft Office Suite Professional 2007 software. You can purchase this software and other popular software packages at substantial discounts throughout the Wisconsin Integrated Software Catalog.