What is the best computer for use by an Army National Guard officer?

CPT(P) Alexander W. — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 09:54:15 -0400

I’m shopping for a new computer for personal use at home and Guard work whenever necessary. I’ll soon be commissioning through state OCS into either Signal or Ordnance. I’ve had a MacBook Pro for the past 11 years that’s been an absolute champ (I just enlisted a year ago so it’s been for mostly non military use), but I’ve been reading about issues with cac readers and AKO etc. Any advice for this 09S is appreciated.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 14 at 2020 10:06 AM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 10:06:14 -0400

- Because my Mac's been great, I'm tempted to buy another one.

Response by SGM Jeff Mccloud made Apr 14 at 2020 11:45 AM

SGM Jeff Mccloud — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:45:01 -0400

Truth be told, any $250 Windows laptop would be fine for this.
if you want to stick with Mac, buy a newer one, and a copy of Windows and install that in VMware.
And get a new CAC reader.
Pro tip: you might occasionally need to read or send an encrypted email on webmail. That is only possible with Windows Internet Explorer.
Every answer you will ever need to get set up or solve a problem on Windows, Mac or Linux can be found on militarycac.com

Response by SFC Michael D. made Apr 14 at 2020 3:17 PM

SFC Michael D. — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 15:17:28 -0400

Alienware. There is no substitute.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 14 at 2020 5:12 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 17:12:29 -0400

Laptop or desktop?
If it's just to use Windows, Office, and cruise the internet you don't need much, even for light gaming and all the video you want - $350 to $400 will be more than enough for a laptop, $350 and you can build an amazing desktop yourself.
Laptops you are kind of stuck with what is offered, but there are very inexpensive options, however since you are buying prebuilt from Asus/Dell/HP etc it is going to have a lot of crap (bloatware) on it taking up space and slowing things down.
Building your own desktop or barebones mini PC allows you to have only what you actually want/need, not wasting money on 35 programs you won't use and other features. Building your own can sound like a crazy task - it's surpisingly super easy - each plug can only go in one spot on the motherboard. I just did it and was even able to use a hard drive from a previous computer and it booted up perfect and told it to just reinstall a clean Windows and it did - didn't have to buy a new copy of Windows and it nuked all the bloatware.
Microsoft Home Use Program provides Office 365 at a discount for servicemembers.

Response by Cadet SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 14 at 2020 5:21 PM

Cadet SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 17:21:04 -0400

I've used my mac for all the necessary branching stuff I needed to to for cadet command and to access my AKO and goArmyEd, never had any issues, its actually more secure to have a mac in my opinion, but that aside, you need to get the right certificates to authenticate the mac, its not hard theres an army website that contains them.

Response by CPT Enrique M. made Apr 14 at 2020 7:28 PM

CPT Enrique M. — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 19:28:25 -0400

if you still have that macbook, and you can continue using it you have 5 choices really
1) Continue to use your macbook , get a cac reader. Go the freeware route by installing certs ( you can go to https://militarycac.com/ and follow their instructions
2) Continue to use your macbook, get a cac reader. And Buy and Download thursby. ( I would say this is a better choice than dealing with certs and expiring certs as this software manages that)
3) Buy another macbook do one of the above scenarios
4) Buy another macbook and install vmware or some sort of vm so you can load windows
5) Buy a windows laptop such as a surface book or you can go cheaper with some of the netbooks out there. I suggest if you do buy a windows laptop that you invest on a PC that will give you maximum battery life.

Out of all them to make your choice it will come down to $$ , and how much time you want to spend learning a new OS.

If it was up to me, I would do number 2. Especially if your macbook is still working like a champ.

Common Access Card (CAC) Information for home use

MilitaryCAC provides CAC installation assistance; Find information regarding the Department of Defense Common Access Card (CAC)

Response by MSgt Frank Askins made Apr 15 at 2020 8:02 AM

MSgt Frank Askins — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 08:02:03 -0400

Unless they've changed the rules, your personal computer is not authorized for processing official military work, especially if it needs to be encrypted. I'd check with your Information Security Officer and see what their recommendations are to avoid an unpleasant experience down the road. They will be more than happy to assist you with answers.

Response by SSgt Paul Millard made Apr 15 at 2020 4:20 PM

SSgt Paul Millard — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 16:20:39 -0400

All depends on use and portability and powerneeds, if your cash flush buy a Surface Pro Laptop from Best Buy and purchase the 3 year warranty. Break it at 2 plus years and they'll replace with new.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2020 4:58 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 16:58:53 -0400

Honestly, you can do everything you mentioned, that you want to get accomplished on a cheap windows laptop worth about $200.

We can talk about purchasing a laptop that would be right for you, but for strictly accessing government websites, all you need to do is follow the steps in the link below to insure you have the right certificates on your system.

https://public.cyber.mil/pki-pke/end-users/getting-started/

Getting Started – DoD Cyber Exchange

Individuals who have a valid authorized need to access DoD Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)- protected information but do not have access to a government site or government-furnished equipment will need to configure their systems to access PKI-protected content.

Response by C/SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 16 at 2022 1:09 AM

C/SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 01:09:23 -0400

There are various choices for you but an army officer needs a compatible computer for guard work. I have a 4k monitor in my home that I bought as an army user from https://consumeratings.com/can-i-connect-a-1080p-laptop-to-a-4k-monitor/. After damaging its motherboard I want to connect it to my laptop. So I want to ask that can i connect a 1080p laptop to a 4k monitor.

Can I Connect a 1080p Laptop to a 4k Monitor 3 Tips

The most important piece of hardware for outputting 4k is your graphics card. Can I Connect a 1080p Laptop to a 4k Monitor The most important piece of