Recommended Computing Devices

Per university policy, the ECE Information Technology Office and your assigned Procurement Officer are required to approve and/or be made aware of ALL computer-related purchases prior to finalizing your purchase.  This includes ALL methods of Procurement (ProCard, UT Market, Amazon Business accounts, Purchase Orders).  This ensures all compute devices are Business/Enterprise models, meet university compliance (regardless of Operating Systems), and is approved for the university networks (wired & wireless)

Computing equipment purchased that does not meet university standards or compliance must go through an exception process with the campus Information Security Office and ECE-IT Office.  Without approval, these devices may not be placed into production, may need to be returned, or will not be placed on the UT network (wired and/or wireless).

Please read the Computing Purchasing Guidelines

Custom vendor-built custom workstations are compute devices built and warrantied by a vendor that may not be currently offered by a UT affiliated vendor (Dell, Lenovo, Apple, CDWG, SHI, Campus Computer) on UT Market.  If there is a technical requirement for pursuing a vendor-built workstation, please consult with ECE-IT and your designated Procurement Officer.  We will assist with identifying a reputable vendor, identify extended support options (warranty), and ensure the hardware meets compliance regardless of the Operating System requirement.  We can also engage with a UT affiliated vendor if your goal is solely to reduce the price of your purchase (no technical requirement

Support:  If a vendor-built device is under warranty, the ECE-IT group may provide assistance by working with your group to identify any hardware related concerns.  The ECE-IT group will work with your group and/or designated Procurement Officer for any potential hardware returns.

Warranty:  The warranty provided by these vendors may not always provide the quickest turnaround times compared to Dell or Lenovo.  It may take a few days or weeks to fully resolve the reported issue. 

TPM:  The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chipset is required.  Please ensure the vendor can accommodate the TPM chipset in their custom builds.

Custom self-built custom workstations/desktops are computers built by purchasing computer components separately, then building the computer yourself.  Self-built custom workstations/desktops are highly discouraged and should only be reserved to meet a critical technical requirement.  Self-built options are not an avenue to reduce the financial burden of a vendor-specific compute device such as Dell, Lenovo, or Apple. There are hidden overhead costs to supporting self-built compute devices the user/group will inherit.

Note:  To install a Windows operating system on a custom self-built system will also require you to purchase a Windows license.  UT's Microsoft agreement does not allow installation on a self-built system without a license purchase.

If a faculty research group opts to pursue a self-built custom device, the hardware components must meet university standards and compliance.  The research group will inherit the obligation of building the system correctly before the ECE-IT Office begins the installation of the operating system.  If the ECE-IT Office encounters any technical difficulties with the custom-built device, the research group assumes liability and will need to work with the part's manufacturer or vendor(s) the part was purchased from to resolve the issue.

Note:  The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chipset is required.  This must be purchased with any custom self-built compute device, regardless of operating system.

Location of servers:  Where are the servers going to be placed?

Server Size:  Is there adequate space to host a server in your designated space in EER or MER?

Power consumption:  Is there an adequate power source to run the servers?  What is the power supply wattage?  How many power supplies within the server?

Cooling:  Do you know if the heat the servers generated can be sustained in a lab?

Server Noise:  Will the server impact users in the lab or occupants in nearby rooms?