Gies Faculty Computer Recommendations
Departmental Ordering Guidance
Dept. of Accountancy (ACCY)
Make your request to your department contact, Susan Palmer (sesuther@illinois.edu), and she will request funding approval. If needed, ACCY will either reach out to IT Partners for quotes or encourage you to work with IT Partners at helpdesk@business.illinois.edu.
Dept. of Business Administration (BA)
Before reaching out to your departmental purchaser, please review these computer options and send an email to helpdesk@business.illinois.edu to request a quote for your preferred computer and/or any additional equipment. IT Partners will provide order info to your department once you have approved the quote.
Dept. of Finance (FIN)
Make your request to your department, and they will request funding approval and reach out to IT Partners for quotes, as needed.
Use Case 1 - Heavy statistics software/research usage, requiring a dedicated graphics card, powerful CPU, and/or high amounts of system memory (RAM)
Note: if applicable to your research needs and budget, we can work with you to order a server, custom workstation, and/or cloud computing and/or campus cluster resources.
Desktop, workstation class, very upgradeable – CDW# 7473254, 6979692
Use Case 2 - Standard teaching and writing needs, no specialized research software needs
Desktop, upgradeable – CDW# 7397256, 7996701, 6949859
Use Case 3 - Statistics/research software needs, requiring high amounts of memory, some mobility required for teaching/travel
Laptop, discrete graphics card, on the bulkier side so not ideal for lots of travel, memory (RAM) is able to be upgraded - CDW #7492860
Laptop, thin and light, basic graphics card, better for travel/portability, memory (32 GB RAM) cannot be upgraded - CDW #7578896, 7916200
Use Case 4 - Standard teaching and writing needs, carry to class and/or for travel, no specialized research software needs
Laptop, lightweight and fast, very capable for teaching, presenting, travel, and general use, no specialized research software needs, partially upgradeable – CDW# 7941798, 8080680
Use Case 5 - Standard teaching and writing needs, carry to class and/or travel, with the ability to mark up content directly on the device, no specialized research software needs
Note: at this time, we no longer recommend or support the Microsoft Surface line.
Detachable, equivalent to Microsoft Surface Pro - Lenovo ThinkPad X12 - 7934583 (requires add'l warranty), 7996665 (5yr warranty incl.)
Laptop, business-class, 2-in-1, includes stylus - CDW# 7996672, 7916170 (requires add'l warranty)
Use Case 6 - Supplemental device for editing/marking up content when teaching, pairs well with a desktop as primary computer
Apple iPad Air (department can request quote from IT) or Wacom Pen Tablet - CDW #5010886
Use Case 7 - Mac users
Every configuration of Mac desktop and laptop is currently supported by the university and Gies, but they can be customized for your needs. Faculty who prefer an Apple computer instead of a Windows-based computer may reach out to the Help Desk for a quote. They are generally not upgradeable.