Minimum Hardware Specifications for University Computers

All University computers must meet the minimum system requirements below in order to be encrypted, re-imaged and/or repaired by ITAC:

Android Devices

  • All Android devices do not meet ITAC's minimum hardware system requirements for re-imaging, repair & encryption. ITAC will not take responsibility for providing hardware or software support for any Android devices.
  • If a department or a member of a department needs one or more tablets for their use, ITAC recommends that a supported Microsoft Surface device, Laptop Detachable - Latitude 7350 with Detachable Collaboration Keyboard and Active Pen device or Apple iPad tablet be purchased instead of an Android device. Please refer to the Apple iPad Tablets & Microsoft Surface Devices sections below for more information regarding these options. For the Laptop Detachable - Latitude 7350 with Detachable Collaboration Keyboard and Active Pen device, please refer to the Dell Premier page in the TSUS Marketplace.

Apple Computers & other Apple Devices

  • Before ITAC can begin working on any Apple device, Find My Mac must be TURNED OFF on this device. If Find My Mac is still turned on when ITAC begins working on this device, then all work will be significantly delayed.
    • Please Note: Find My Mac should not be turned on on any Apple Computer or any other Apple Device that has been purchased with University Funds. Apple computers & devices purchased using any kind of University funding are considered University property & not the personal property of the customer.
       
  • In addition, ITAC can only work on Apple devices that do not appear on the Apple Vintage & Obsolete Products list.
  • How to Determine the Model & Year of your Apple Computer.

          Apple Computers. 

  • ITAC can only re-image, repair & encrypt Apple computers that meet the minimum system requirements for MacOS 12 (Monterey) or higher.
  • At this time, ITAC does not support MacOS 15 (Sequoia) on University Apple computers. If this version of MacOS is installed on a University Apple computer, ITAC will not take responsibility for compatibility problems caused by MacOS 15 (Sequoia) with other software programs installed on a University computer or made available through Jamf for a University computer. 
  • Jamf Pro must be installed on all Apple computers & these Apple computers must registered with Apple School Manager. These computers will be managed by ITAC or the department TSP using Jamf Pro & Apple School Manager.

          Apple iPads, Apple iPhones, Apple TV's & Apple Vision Pro devices.

  • All Apple iPads, iPhones, TV's & Vision Pro devices operate using the Apple iOS operating system. None of these devices are compatible with any version of MacOS.
  • Provided that there are no hardware problems, ITAC should be able to perform a Factory Restore of iOS on all Apple iPads, iPhones, TV's & Vision Pro devices.
    • If ITAC is not able to log into the Apple device, then it will not be possible to recover the customer's files from any of these of devices.
  • All Apple iPads, iPhones, TV's & Vision Pro devices are not repairable by ITAC. If these devices are still under warranty & the warranty covers the damage to the devices, then Apple will replace them under warranty. Apple will not repair the damaged devices & return them to ITAC or the customer.
    • Before an Apple iPad, iPhone, TV or Vision Pro device is sent in for replacement, ITAC must verify that this device has been encrypted per UPPS 04.01.11.
    • If this device has not been encrypted, either the customer will need to encrypt this device or ITAC will attempt to encrypt the device before it can be returned to Apple for replacement.
    • If the Apple device can not be encrypted due to any failure (hardware, software or both), the department requesting that the device be replaced under Apple warranty must obtain approval from the Information Security Office before ITAC can proceed with the warranty replacement process.
    • All warranty replacements for these Apple devices must be facilitated by ITAC.
  • Jamf Pro must be installed on all Apple iPads, iPhones & Vision Pro devices. These Apple devices must registered with Apple School Manager. These devices will be managed by ITAC or the department TSP using Jamf Pro & Apple School Manager.
    • At this time, Jamf Pro can not be installed on Apple TV's. ITAC is working on resolving this issue.
    • If an Apple device does not have Jamf Pro installed on it & it is not registered with Apple School Manager, then Jamf Pro will need to be installed & the device registered with Apple School Manager. Please Note: This process will result in the device being completely wiped.
  • When Jamf Pro has been installed & the iPad, iPhone or Vision Pro has been added to Apple School Manager, the Apps from the Mac App Store that do not cost extra can be deployed to the Apple device. If the customer wishes to have Apps from the Mac App Store deployed to the iPad that cost extra, then the customer must submit a Software License Purchase Request form & the request will need to be reviewed by the IT Business Office & Information Security Office.

        Apple AirPods, AirTags & Apple Pencils.

  • All Apple AirPods, AirTags & Apple Pencils do not have an installed operating system. These devices are connected to compatible Apple device with a current operating system.
  • Provided that there are no hardware problems, ITAC should be able to perform a Factory Restore of these devices.
  • All Apple AirPods, AirTags & Apple Pencils are not repairable by ITAC. If these devices are still under warranty & the warranty covers the damage to the devices, then Apple will replace them under warranty. Apple will not repair the damaged devices & return them to ITAC or the customer.
    • All warranty replacements for these Apple devices must be facilitated by ITAC. 
  • At this time, there are no plans for these devices to be managed by Jamf Pro & Apple School Manager. 

        Apple Watches.

  • All Apple Watches operate using the watchOS operating system. None of these devices are compatible with any version of MacOS.
  • Provided that there are no hardware problems, ITAC should be able to perform a Factory Restore of these devices.
  • All Apple Watches are not repairable by ITAC. If these devices are still under warranty & the warranty covers the damage to the devices, then Apple will replace them under warranty. Apple will not repair the damaged devices & return them to ITAC or the customer.
    • All warranty replacements for Apple Watches must be facilitated by ITAC.
  • At this time, there are no plans for these devices to be managed by Jamf Pro & Apple School Manager.

Google Chrome Devices

  • All Google Chrome devices do not meet ITAC's minimum hardware system requirements for re-imaging, repair & encryption. ITAC will not take responsibility for providing hardware or software support for any Google Chrome device.

 Linux & Unix OS Devices

  • ITAC can only perform hardware repairs on these devices provided they meet our minimum hardware system requirements. ITAC does not provide software support for any Linux Distribution or any version of Unix.

Microsoft Surface Devices

  • All Microsoft Surface devices will need to meet the same minimum hardware specifications for Windows Computers listed below & will need to be checked to be verified that they meet minimum system requirements for re-imaging & encryption.
    • No Microsoft Surface Devices with ARM processors (example: Microsoft Surface Pro X) will meet the minimum system specifications for the Windows 10 or 11  TX State image & will be supported on a best effort basis only.
  • All Microsoft Surface devices can not be repaired by ITAC. If these devices are still under warranty, Microsoft will replace the devices. Microsoft will not repair the damaged devices & return them to ITAC.
    • Before a Microsoft Surface device is sent in for replacement, ITAC must verify that the device has been encrypted per UPPS 04.01.11. If the Microsoft Surface device has not been encrypted, either the customer will need to encrypt the device or ITAC will attempt to encrypt the device before it can be returned to Microsoft for a replacement device.
    • If the Microsoft Surface device can not be encrypted due to any failure (hardware, software or both), the department requesting that the device be replaced under Microsoft warranty must obtain approval from the Information Security Office before ITAC can proceed with the warranty replacement process.
    • If ITAC is not able to log into the Microsoft Surface device, then it will not be possible to recover the customer's files without destroying the device & voiding any remaining warranty on the device.
  • All warranty replacements for Microsoft Surface devices must be facilitated by ITAC.

Windows Computers

Beginning May 1, 2023, all newly purchased Windows computers will receive the Windows 11 Texas State image. Any university-owned compatible computer that is checked-in to ITAC for a repair service that includes a reimage will receive the Windows 11 Texas State image.

ITAC will continue to support Windows 10 & the Windows 10 Texas State image will be available until Microsoft ends the support for Windows 10. At this time, the current end of support date for Windows 10 is October 14, 2025. Microsoft determines this date & it is subject to change at any time.

All Windows 10 computers must meet the minimum hardware requirements listed below to be re-imaged, repaired and/or encrypted by ITAC.

  • Processor: The processor must be at least an AMD Ryzen processor, an AMD Threadripper processor, or a 6th Generation or newer Intel iCore processor. Windows computers that have Intel Xeon processors will need to be checked in to verify the age of the processor before continuing.
  • RAM: The computer must have at least 16 GB or more of RAM.
  • Hard Drive/Solid State Drive: The hard drive or solid-state drive installed in this computer must be at least 200 GB or greater.
  • Video Graphics: The video card or on-board video graphics processor must be compatible with DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver.
  • TPM Chip: A Trusted Platform Module Chip must be installed & working correctly.

All Windows 11 computers must meet the minimum hardware requirements listed below to be re-imaged and/or repaired by ITAC. 

These requirements are subject to change & are based on the minimum hardware requirements determined by Microsoft.

  • Processor: The processor must be at least a 2nd generation or newer Ryzen processor, a 2nd generation or newer AMD Threadripper processor, or a 8th Generation or newer Intel iCore processor. Windows computers that have a Intel Xeon processor will need to be checked in to verify the compatibility of the processor with Windows 11 before work can begin.
  • RAM: The computer must have at least 16 GB or more of RAM.
  • Hard Drive/Solid State Drive: The hard drive or solid-state drive installed in this computer must be at least 200 GB or greater.
  • Video Graphics: The video card or on-board video graphics processor must be compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.
  • TPM Chip: A Trusted Platform Module 2.0 Chip must be installed & working correctly.
  • System Firmware: The computer must UEFI & Secure Boot capable. These settings must be turned on in BIOS.
  • Display: The computer's display must be a high definition (720p) display or better & it must be greater than 9” diagonally with 8 bits per color channel.

How to Determine What Kind of Processor & How Much RAM is Installed on a Windows Computer.
How to Determine the Amount of Total Storage Space on a Windows Computer.

Current list of Intel Processors supported by Windows 11.
Current list of AMD Processors supported by Windows 11.

Current List of Supported & Unsupported Dell Windows Computers.

PLEASE NOTE FOR ALL UNIVERSITY COMPUTERS: At this time, ITAC is only authorized to perform warranty & non-warranty hardware repairs on Apple & Dell computers, HP printers, & warranty replacements on Microsoft Surface devices & Apple iPad tablets. ITAC is not authorized to perform warranty & non-warranty hardware repairs on computers from any other manufacturer & custom built computers.

CAUTION: At this time, ITAC imaging & re-imaging services are only available for University Apple, Dell & HP computers, & University Microsoft devices. Imaging & re-imaging services for University computers from any other manufacturer & custom built computers will be done on a best effort basis & will incur additional costs.