New Computer for Biolan
04 March 2008 MEMORANDUM FOR A.S. SENIOR VP / SENATE
FROM: Alex Elmore, Biolan Editor-in-Chief
SUBJECT:
1. Proposal: For a new computer for the Biolan staff with CS3.
2. Amount Requested: $2,441.97 + 290 = $2,731.97 (or $2,431.97 depending on Rob)
3. Problems with Status Quo: While my department can get on with 2 computers, because there are 5 people on staff whose work requires these computers (or files on them), the negotiations to use them can often become crazy, especially during deadlines. Further, our current computers are incredibly slow. (list specs) To give you an idea of what the numbers mean, if you don’t have a feel for it, a month ago I opened 5 pdf files simultaneously to show Adam some of our spreads, and it took about 20 minutes to load. It currently takes around 5 minutes to pdf a spread (export from InDesign), and about 2 minutes to open Excel. In contrast, it takes my laptop 7 seconds to load Excel. A new, much faster computer would be paradise for my photographers when they load large numbers of high-res photos and edit them, for my designers as they load multiple pages at once to design or edit, and myself as I spend several hours editing, exporting, and submitting pages for deadlines.
4. Miscellaneous: The computer we would get is the standard Mac Pro on the Apple store now [Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon (8-core), 2GB (2×1GB) RAM, 320GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s, ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB (Two dual-link DVI) Video Card, Apple Cinema Display (20” flat panel), One 16x SuperDrive (CD/DVD Drive), Apple Mighty Mouse, Apple Keyboard (English) + Mac OS X, AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac Pro (w/or w/o Display)]. The only additions we want is the 20” display (since we don’t have a monitor for it) and the AppleCare Protection Plan. The price listed above is after Tax and minus Educational and Department discounts, with no shipping because we won’t be charged for it.
The CS3 is necessary because we would be getting this computer for Design, Photo editing, and pdf work, all of which requires the Adobe Programs. It would make little sense to get a new computer and to use it for Microsoft Word. Buying CS3 for the computer is the only way to solve both dilemmas posed by our current situation. The CS3 price is consistent with the purchase and breakdown of my proposal at the end of last semester.
Alex Elmore Biolan Editor-in-Chief