Personal Hardware FAQs

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  • High quality black-and-white and color printing is available in many labs around campus. Open computer labs offer no-cost printing, metered to 25 pages per job and 2500 pages per semester. However, some restricted labs such as the RR Campus labs charge for printing for pages beyond a certain limit. For information on additional services and fees, see the IT Services and Fees page. 

    Depending on your printing needs, the cost to print on campus is often less than purchasing a printer, ink, and paper. However, an advantage of having your own printer, is the convenience of printing without walking to one of the labs.

    SendNPrint services also afford you the opportunity to submit a print job from your personal computer (via email or upload) and pick up at any SendNPrint Spot on campus. Learn more about SendNPrint services.

  • Desktops and laptops are both widely used on campus. Both present their own advantages and disadvantages. Desktops tend to be cheaper and offer higher computing performance. Laptops, on the other hand, are portable and offer the advantage of wireless connectivity from most areas on campus.

    Texas State does not have a campus-wide recommendation. However, we do advise that you talk to your academic advisor, because some departments have preferences.

  • No. Texas State provides access to a variety of computer equipment across several Computer Labs on campus.

  • No, Texas State does not require you to own a specific model of computer. We encourage you to ensure that you have the networking equipment necessary to connect to the campus network and that the computer can run the software that you need. If you do decide to purchase a new computer, Texas State recommends that you purchase a warranty that covers any hardware failures not due to wear and tear. Windows XP operating systems, which are no longer supported by Microsoft, are not allowed to connect to the campus network.

  • Texas State makes no recommendations as to which platform of computer you should bring. However, we encourage you to talk to your department's academic advisor, because some colleges and programs have platform preferences.

    Students can also purchase personal computers via the University Bookstore.