Recommended Mac Models--Institutional Purchases

Macintosh Purchase Information for Academic Offices

Pricing below is for institutional purchases only.

Students, and faculty or staff looking for a home computer, have different pricing and ordering requirements.

The configurations below are recommended for most academic staff buying a Macintosh computer.

Tenure-track and regular part-time faculty members are eligible for a Provost Provided Computer. After getting approval from the Provost's Office please contact Academic Computing for consultation and to place your order. You may select either the recommended desktop or laptop described below, or a similarly configured Dell. Your support liaison can help you select a system.
Departmentally funded and grant funded computers also qualify for institutional pricing. The configurations suggested below are good general purpose systems. However, we can order most Macintosh products at our institutional discount, plus $100 shipping and handling. We will be happy to help you select an appropriate system for your needs. Please contact your support liaison for details or to place an order.

Note: You can go to Apple's Online store for Education, log on as a higher ed institutional buyer, and configure a system on your own. You will not be able to place the order directly, but you will be able to get a "proposal number." Pass the information onto your liaison. He or she will discuss the proposal with you and place the order.

iMac Intel Duo

The iMac combines the computer’s base unit and display in one piece. This system meets the needs of most Macintosh users who prefer a desktop system. Faculty members eligible for an office computer can select either the 20" or 24" models.

Those who travel frequently or do a lot of computer-based presentations may prefer a laptop.

iMac, Intel Core 2 Duo

Display: 20" or 24"

Speed: 2.66 GHz or 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (24" is faster)

Memory: 2 GB (2x1GB)

Hard Drive: 320 GB Serial ATA

Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory

Optical Drive: SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

AppleCare Protection Plan: N/A

Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office 2008 license

Cost*	20" iMac	24" iMac
iMac as configured above	$1,399	$1,699
MS Office v.2008 license	55	55
Shipping and handling	100	100
Total Cost	$1,554	$1,854

Intel MacBook Pro

This is the standard model for faculty who prefer a portable system for travel or presentations, or just to have a flexible work space. It is similar to the iMac in features, although the screen and hard drive are smaller.

MacBook Pro, 15-inch, 2.4 GHz

Display: 15-inch Widescreen Display or 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display

Speed: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory: 2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB

Hard Drive: 200 GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB

Optical Drive: SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

AppleCare Protection Plan: 3 year warranty

Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office 2008 license

Cost*	MacBook Pro
MacBook Pro as configured above	$2,038
MS Office v.2008 license	55
Security cable	40
Laptop backpack or shoulder bag	50
Shipping and handling	100
Total Cost	$2,283

Mac Pro

The Mac Pro is recommended only for those who need a large chassis for expansion ports. If an iMac will not meet your needs, work with your liaison on a configuration. We do not have a standard recommendation on this system.

* ACC charges $100 shipping and handling, above the price from Apple. Prices are subject to frequent change without notice. An actual price quote will only be available at time of purchase.

For Questions and Comments, contact Haverford College's Academic Computing Center.
Last updated on August 21, 2008