BSF Machine Specs

[MK-2]

I'm not sure if this is nationwide specs, or just for the BSF here (Nottingham) but our finance officer kindly bypassed us and went straight to the BSF leader at the council here to ask what spec machines we should be buying to be in line with BSF standards.
His reply was then forwarded to us (out the loop already).
His reply was:

----------
Guarantee to supply for 6 months
All minimum 3 years warranty

Entry level (suitable for classroom use)
3.2Ghz Intel Pentium HT or equivalent
512MB RAM PC3200 (min 1 free slot)
100GB SATA 7200RPM
dvd/cdrw
gigabit lan
front usb2 and audio
on board vga and audio

Mid level (for machines requiring a bit more processing power and speed - admin workstation)
1.86Ghz Pentium Core 2 Duo or equivalent
1GB RAM PC3200 DDR2 (min 1 free slot)
200GB SATA 7200RPM
dvd/cdrw
gigabit lan
front usb2 and audio
on board video (not shared ram) and sound

High level (for subject specific stuff such as graphic design and video editing)
2.4 Pentium Core 2 Duo
2GB PC3200 DDR2 (min 1 free slot)
2 x 250GB SATA 7200RPM
SATA RIAD controller (modes 0 1)
DVDRW
firewire 1 and 2
front firewire, usb2 and audio
dual DVI output video card 256MB RAM

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those were all his words exact.

3.2Ghz Intel Pentium HT or equivalent

it's like a PC World advert!!

[richard]

I wonder what the server spec's are going to be?

[StewartKnight]

I wonder what the prices are!

[MK-2]

I thought the servers were going to be centralised so it's something we shouldn't bother our silly little heads about.

[MK-2]

I wonder what the prices are!

best thing is he also included a list of 'preferred' suppliers that were recommended by at least 50 schools this year. Including RM (shock horror) and Time (!!??!!).
At the bottom it said Apple and Tiny were mentioned but by less than 50 schools but should be considered.

OK lets consider Apple for the Pentium specs, or perhaps go to Tiny and ask if our order will bring them out of administration

[GrumbleDook]

Why the *heck* do they need a 200GB drive in an admin machine? And for most admin stuff the entry level machine is more than fine ... And why do they need combo drives? Surely resources should be available via the network .. not passed round on CD / DVD?

At least with the mid range spec you can get Mac Minis ... and iMacs for the high end (250GB internal and external firewire drive for the rest if they insist!)

[contink]

You see the same sort of specifications for doctors surgeries (as my dear mother has spat at me in one of her rants )

Doctors want the best thing going and it'll gather dust, "but it's a duo don't you know"..

While the secretaries and admin staff who need to input, access and generally deal with the data get celeron, baseline out of date cr*p..

It's all about status symbols... thank deity I don't have to deal with this idiocy in primary schools :|

[MK-2]

thank deity I don't have to deal with this idiocy in primary schools :|

until some bright spark creates a 'campus' out of your school and a few others :?

[Grommit]

Crikey.....

We use Celerons for the PC's that will only be doing Word and other Basic stuff and a P4 for the Media PC's...

Now the baseline is P4 ?

[CyberNerd]

and no mention of thin clients? or the advantages that some of us enjoy such as the lowered support costs, reduced energy consumption and the fact that TC's can run adequately on old p233's.

[Ric_]

You see the same sort of specifications for doctors surgeries (as my dear mother has spat at me in one of her rants )

Doctors want the best thing going and it'll gather dust, "but it's a duo don't you know"..

While the secretaries and admin staff who need to input, access and generally deal with the data get celeron, baseline out of date cr*p..

It's all about status symbols... thank deity I don't have to deal with this idiocy in primary schools :|

I noticed that the last time I went to see my GP... the receptionists all had 20 year old analogue telephones to answer a million calls a minute and the PCs were a good 5 years old as a minimum... the GP had a brand spanking new DELL SFF and a top of the line Cisco IP phone!

[contink]

thank deity I don't have to deal with this idiocy in primary schools :|

until some bright spark creates a 'campus' out of your school and a few others :?

I know it's too much to hope for but someone in the department of education has got to get a clue before that happens... Please deity... They can't seriously be that ****ing stupid?

.. ok so a rhetorical question but darn it they need to get out in the real world instead of their decision boxes with air and everything..

[broc]

and no mention of thin clients? or the advantages that some of us enjoy such as the lowered support costs, reduced energy consumption and the fact that TC's can run adequately on old p233's.

No chance! Not enough profit in thin clients for managed services providers, and you cannot 'roll' the hardware inventory as quickly either.

[CyberNerd]

CyberNerd wrote:
and no mention of thin clients? or the advantages that some of us enjoy such as the lowered support costs, reduced energy consumption and the fact that TC's can run adequately on old p233's.
No chance! Not enough profit in thin clients for managed services providers, and you cannot 'roll' the hardware inventory as quickly either.

I agree about the hardware turnover, but all the things that are good for me (support time, reduced cost ,TCO) I would have thought would also be good for a managed service. They can still bill the school for the same amount but make more money?

[Grommit]

Isn't the TCO higher within the BSF model ?