Tech Guide for New Students

Shortcut: https://behrend.psu.edu/bitsnso

Get Behrend IT Help

Our Service Desk is located in the Hammermill Building. To view Service Desk hours, visit Help Desk and Lab Hours.

You may also contact us by email ([email protected]) and phone (814-217-4357). Or, request assistance via an IT Ticket.

Behrend Residence Hall Network Support

Student Technicians oversee the daily operation and maintenance of the on-campus housing labs, kiosks, collaborative study desks, and printers. Additionally, they assist with network connections, perform student computer OS re-installs, run anti-virus and anti-malware scans, and provide general hardware troubleshooting.

During the semester, the Student Technicians are located at the Service Desk in the Hammermill Building, Monday through Thursday, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. You may call 814-217-4357 or submit an IT ticket.

Female student sitting with laptop resting on her lap

Tech Recommendations

The Connect to Tech Guide is a University-wide resource that describes computer specifications for students bringing a used computer with them.

Which laptops do you recommend?

You should always purchase small business-grade laptops from an online source, as they are a step up from what you will find in most stores. Be wary of outstanding price offers on consumer-grade computers from chain store retailers. In most cases, you get what you pay for. You can expect to pay between $800 and $2,000+ for a good-quality, business-grade computer. Products in this price range have higher-quality internal components and will generally last four to five years or more with proper care.

Examples of recommended business-grade computers include: HP ProBook, HP EliteBook, Dell Latitude, Dell Vostro, Dell Pro, Microsoft Surface Pro, Sharp Dynabook, Lenovo ThinkPad T, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro.

Connect Your Devices

For information on connecting your devices to Penn State's networking resources, refer to the Connect to Tech page.

Helpful Links to Behrend Resources

University Resources