Dartmouth recommends that students purchase either Apple or Lenovo laptops. Before you come to Dartmouth you will need to decide whether to use Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS. Dartmouth offers a number of computer packages and accessories to incoming students. Which one is right for you?
Dartmouth offers laptop packages from Apple and Lenovo that we believe represent the best balance between cost and performance. Please Note: All laptop computer packages purchased from Computer Sales and Service have an additional fee of $10 for the software. All students that purchase a computer package from Sales and Service are also entitled to a free loaner when and if your machine needs to come in for repair at our Service department. The price does not include any of the additional accessories listed below. These options may change if new models are released over the summer.
In addition, we offer two high-end laptop packages. Should you choose one of these packages, financial aid will only cover up to the cost of the basic package toward one of the high-end packages. Please read the letter from the Financial Aid Office that you will receive in mid-June for details.
In addition, we offer two High End Power and Graphics laptop packages. Should you choose one of these packages, financial aid will only cover up to the cost of the basic package toward one of the high-end packages. Please read the letter from the Financial Aid Office that you will receive in mid-June for details.
The Apple MacBook Pro 15", 2.5 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB of RAM, a 750GB 7200rpm hard drive, Hi-Res Antiglare Screen, a Super Drive, and a 3-year warranty: $2,828
Lenovo ThinkPad T520 with an Intel Core i7-2860QM (Qaud-core 2.5GHz) processor, a 15.6 inch screen FHD, NVIDIA NVS 4200M Optimus Graphics 1GB, 8GB RAM, a 500 GB 7200rpm hard drive, a super drive, and a 4-year ADP warranty: $2,182
A standard software package come with computers purchased through Dartmouth. It includes: System software; Microsoft Office; Symantec EndPoint Protection; an FTP client; and web browsers. You will also receive utilities that allow you to use shared network resources, such as public laser printers and file servers.
Apple systems will be preloaded with Mac OS 10.7. Windows systems will be preloaded with the Windows 7 Professional 64-bit edition. Dartmouth supports Apple’s Mac OS X and Microsoft's Windows 7 Professional edition and Windows XP Professional operating systems. We do not support Windows XP Home or Windows Vista Home. If you have an unsupported operating system, software is available to Dartmouth students from Computer Sales and Service to upgrade to Windows 7 or Mac OS 10.7 from the App Store for a low price.
For computers purchased through Computer Sales and Service as part of the offerings to incoming student include the following warranties: Apple computers come with a three-year AppleCare warranty; Lenovo computers come with a four-year Accidental Damage Policy. The Apple warranty covers manufacture defects only (not accidental damage); the Lenovo warranty covers manufacture defects, plus accidental damage. Please note that software-related problems are not covered on any of the systems.
Repairs to Apple computers and the Lenovo computers can be done on campus by our certified technicians, regardless of whether you purchase them through us, through them, or elsewhere. If you bring a personal computer other than one of the recommended models, you will need to take your computer off campus for warranty service and support.
In rare cases, you may need to take a class that requires the use of software or resources that are not available for the computer you own — either Macintosh or Windows. You can meet the class requirements by using a friend’s computer or using a computer in one of the public computer clusters.
The College provides students with an allocation for free printing each term at public printers located around campus. Once that allocation has been depleted, you will be charged for printing. You may choose to purchase a personal printer, but Dartmouth financial aid is not available for the purchase of printers. To find out more, go to GreenPrint Public Printers.
