Typical employee Office Setup

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Xenoous_RS@reddit

Similar but 24" standard monitors, but devs and design folk get 27".

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We've been doing 32GB for years now. Most of our employees are developers, though, so that might make a difference. I doubt that a 16GB machine bought today will be good for the next five years without upgrading.

We have a mix of desktops and laptops. We only do i5/ultra 5 processors for laptops, since the higher end ones don't offer much performance benefit due to thermal limitations. Desktops get the i7/i9 or Xeon CPUs. Our users don't (and shouldn't) store much locally, so 256GB of local storage is fine. Laptops have wi-fi and Bluetooth, but we disable those on desktops that have them. Users can request whatever monitor setup they like within reason, but 2x 27" 2.5k or 4k is common. Users who need them get Nvidia GPUs.

Our Mac users have a mix of Mac Minis, Studios, and Macbook pros, also with 32GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. They get the same monitor options.

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malikto44@reddit

What I do is something similar:

Two good 4k monitors.
Headset.
A decent docking station.

For the laptop.

User choice of screen size. I prefer smaller, because it is a lot easier to take with me in a backpack.
32-48 GB. I'd almost say that if price wasn't a major bummer, to go to 48-64 GB.
1 TB storage, for wear leveling, and swap. Even with bumped up RAM, there are a lot of bloated applications which will fill up RAM and start hitting disk. So, having enough space for wear leveling is important.
At least two cores for the OS, two for the EDR/XDR/MDR, so 8-10 cores total.
Wifi, Bluetooth, NFC, fingerprint scanner for WHfB, card reader for CAC/PIV go all without saying.
If possible, at least 1-2 USB-A ports, as well as USB-C ports. The USB-A ports are ideal for Yubikeys.

The card reader tends to have to be specified, but one can get most business laptops with one.

The above can vary, depending of people work from home, or work from the office. If they never need to take a laptop home, the laptop can be replaced with a desktop or workstation.

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The_Long_Blank_Stare@reddit

• Single 34” ultrawide monitor

• Logi Dock

• Lenovo Thinkpad with at least 32GB RAM and 512GB SSD or NVME

• Company-issued phone (iPhone preferred, but Samsung is an option)

• Logitech C920x webcam

• Once cleared to occasionally WFH, another Monitor/Dock/Webcam combo

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Independent_Art5301@reddit

specs look pretty standard. couple thoughts though:

16GB feels tight nowadays with teams + outlook + chrome with 30 tabs + slack all running. 32GB is becoming the new sweet spot, cost difference is minimal. same for storage, 512GB fills up fast with onedrive cached + teams files, would default to 1TB.

monitor-wise dual 27" 1440p has replaced the old dual 24" 1080p combos. some teams switching to single 34" ultrawide which works really well.

if you're not specifying it yet, thunderbolt 4 docks (caldigit ts4 or kensington sd5700t) are worth the extra over basic usb-c. one cable, no driver headaches, lasts 5+ years.

webcam is the underrated one. built-in laptop cams are still bad and people look unprofessional on calls. 50€ for a logitech c920 per user is the cheapest credibility upgrade you can give. same logic with jabra evolve2 or poly voyager headsets, anything cheaper has terrible mic quality.

i5 is fine for most, only spec i7 for engineers or anyone running VMs.

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acniv@reddit

34" curved monitor, game changer, for real.

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ORA2J@reddit

Same, but with 22" monitors.

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statikuz@reddit

Oof, why so small? Seems to me like 24" was the standard in 2015 and now 27" is becoming more and more common.

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mc_it@reddit

We're at 24 now, but for a while we had people complaining that the even the 22s were causing too much room to be taken up at their desks.

And this is with dedicated monitor arms saving several inches of desk space.

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statikuz@reddit

Gosh, people really will complain about anything, won't they...

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Ok-Double-7982@reddit

YES they hate change even when it makes things better.

"It's different".

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mc_it@reddit

Absolutely.

Sometimes it's like that bit in Back to the Future II. "You mean you have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!"

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vppencilsharpening@reddit

We were doing 27" monitors around 2015 and moved to 24" because they were more options in the price range we wanted to be in. Users have been fine with 24", but I do agree that 22" seems small.

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ORA2J@reddit

Nobody's complaining, so i guess no one bothers to change the policy.

We semi-regularly give 24 or 27 if need be (vision impairment, specific needs, etc...), but overall, people seem to be happy with the 22"s.

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Arudinne@reddit

Didn't know they still made those.

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benuntu@reddit

Depends on application usage, but i5/16GB for normal users that have mostly web-based apps. i7/32GB for users that run resource intensive local applications (database, ERP, design, etc.). Dual 24" monitors are standard, as is 512GB SSDs.

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Ok-Double-7982@reddit

i5 16GB for us as well. Mostly SaaS users.We actually have some Excel-heavy users who haven't complained about 16GB so it seems to work pretty well.

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neverforgetaaronsw@reddit

16:10 aspect ratio, no numpad, between 2-2.5lbs.

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Asleep-Bother-8247@reddit

32" curved monitor Docking station USB headset

Laptop is an amd 32gb ram 1tb storage

We also provide usb c hubs for extra usb ports

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r3almaplesyrup@reddit

Mac Studios and two monitors, for the production side, and similar type of laptop for anyone in Corporate

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taker25-2@reddit

2 24” laptop with Ultra 7s, 32 gb ram and 512 ssd. Got to make the computer still be fast on year 6 of 7

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VolansLP@reddit

I’ve found it hard to upgrade from 24” monitors since my users always seem to be limited in desk space (healthcare)

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NapalmNorm@reddit

Exactly what we order. Just made to upgrade to 32gb because I’m finding more and more users complaining memory issues.

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GameEnder@reddit

We will be lucky if we can get 8gb in your new laptops and desktops. I was asked if 4gb will be enough. They got sticker shock when I sent them 16gb options let alone 32gb.

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Darkhexical@reddit

Do they even sell 4gb laptops?

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Chetrippohhh2@reddit

Maybe you should refer them to a doctor

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dm117@reddit

The Mac equivalent. Only one monitor though.

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InspectHer_1@reddit

Ours is basically exactly what you just said

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aguynamedbrand@reddit

Our typical users get the following:

Dell Pro Micro Plus or Dell Pro 14 Plus i7 CPU 32GB RAM 512GB SSD 2 x Dell UltraSharp U24xx docking monitors

We do have some CAD users, developers, and video editing users that have configurations with higher specs.

I use a MacBook Pro 14” M4 Max as my laptop and a MacStudio M3 Ultra for my desktop with 2 x Dell UltraSharp U4323QE monitors. I travel a lot for work and when traveling I’ll also take a Dell Pro 13 Plus with the above specs with me.

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mullsies@reddit

When did you last buy a laptop? Getting 32gb or more is a big price jump and hard to source.

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LeadershipSweet8883@reddit

Monitor resolution should be on your list.

I have no idea why companies are having employees work on 1080p monitors when 2k monitors are widely available for cheap. You get a lot more usable work space on a 2k monitor and you can use UI scaling for the users that can't see small things.

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a60v@reddit

This. 1080p was dumb when it was new. It never had enough vertical resolution, especially when users already were used to 1600x1200 monitors. I have no idea how people are productive on 1080p monitors in 2026 (or 2016).

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Aware_Novel_5141@reddit

Here here!

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koecerion@reddit

Very similar setups here. We used to put LTE in all laptops, but have stopped due to the added time to deliver and cost. Also - we noted that many folks except our top 10% travelers used it for non-business purposes, so we dropped it. Saved $200/device plus $45/mo for the devices we removed it from.

We do a single 34" USB-C docking monitor, though we commonly have webcam/speaker issues that require a disconnect/reconnect of the USB-C cable. We've done our fair share of monitor update rounds.

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highlord_fox@reddit

Basically the same. 16GB RAM/512GB SSD. Old standard (2020-2023ish) was 8GB/256GB, then 2023 onward we went to 16GB of RAM, and 2025+ is 512GB SSDs.

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Vesalii@reddit

About the same, though we use the Dell 24" displays with built-in docking station.

Laptops with 16 GB and we use AMD PRO cpu's. The latest one are PRao 8600GE in desktops and PRO 220 for laptops.

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EyeDontSeeAnything@reddit

We tried to use the hub monitor but found them to be a pain. Luckily we just standardized on 2 24 inch UHD monitors and the TB dock which can be used for PC and macOS setups …and Dell soundbar / camera.

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Vesalii@reddit

Sounds like a really nice setup! Though 24" UHD seems like it would be too small without scaling for about 90% of people.

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zoidao401@reddit

Have you found any issues with the built in docks?

We're thinking about going that way with Iiyama. Good saving over 2 monitors and a separate dock.

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Vesalii@reddit

No, not with Lenovo nor with Dell laptops.

Iiyamanis a solid choice. We have a few touchscreens by them. Very nice and bright picture.

The WS19S docks we have are also super solid. We had cheaper off brand ones and they have issues from time to time with Dell laptops.

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highroller038@reddit

dual 27", dock, i7, 32gb, 512gb

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AlfaHotelWhiskey@reddit

For an architecture/engineering office

Display - Paired Dual 27" Monitor with integrated docking station + camera on one of them. HP Series 5 Pro 27 inch QHD USB-C Conferencing Monitor

Headset

Processor - fastest single pipe proc (Autodesk products dont multithread)

RAM - 32GB

Storage - 1 TB - OS plus Autodesk fills a hard drive fast.

Wifi/Bluetooth

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zoidao401@reddit

14", Ryzen 5, 16GB, 256GB.

Some departments get the upgrade to Ryzen 7 32GB.

Docking station and 2x24" monitors, although we are looking at moving to a docking monitor and a regular. Comes in significantly cheaper.

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MikhailCompo@reddit

We moved to 32GB minimum for all devices 2 years ago. We can thank the security app stack for that.

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hevvypiano@reddit

You'll want that 32GB if people have CoPilot licenses. The agents will make 16GB crawl in Office.

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AviationLogic@reddit

I have 32. Even that doesn't seem like it's enough at times for CoPilot.

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hevvypiano@reddit

I have some old off-network workstations that are used in production that will get a new SSD and Win 10 wipe now and then. It's amazing how well an ancient dual core will run with 8GB of ram and an SSD on Win 10.

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GainDifferent3628@reddit

Bro tell me why my boss is buying 200gb storage laptops

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AviationLogic@reddit

You answered your own question.

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SHANE523@reddit

Most, if not all, of my users are typical users, no engineering, graphic design or any "power users" specs needed. So your list is pretty much what I require although I have not seen any need for 32GB of RAM.

No Bluetooth needed for us.

Monitors - 22" dual monitor setup. At first I was given a lot of resistance for dual monitors, now users don't know what they would do without it. To me, 27"-32" is to much but that is just my opinion.

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Fair_Pomegranate2535@reddit (OP)

What apps does your users use? Because with my regular users they just use basic office apps plus AV and they’re already choking with 16GB

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SHANE523@reddit

Mostly Office apps, Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint and preferred browser. Most use Chrome, some use Edge.
A few users use MIP but no issues there.

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finalpolish808@reddit

For users running the full Outlook app, Excel app, Acrobat, Teams (in a meeting), and 20-30 tabs, we are at the limit for our 16GB users. 32Gb was a really small increase compared to upping the CPU to i7 or HD to 512GB.

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Fair_Pomegranate2535@reddit (OP)

With your users that has Acrobat and Teams is 16GB enough?

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SHANE523@reddit

Yep, the 2 users I mentioned use both regularly and have 4GB to spare as I am typing this.

They are the only 2 that I would even consider being close to "power users" in our org.

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SHANE523@reddit

Just going to add another reply instead of edit for this.

My worst offenders are at 12GB of their 16GB and they are bad. I swear, they both have about 40 tabs open in Chrome/Edge! Hell, one of those users had 64GB for their Outlook OST, I had to teach her how to archive, she had emails that were 14 years old!

Also, I require NVMe now, no HDD or SATA SSDs for desktops or laptops. Big performance boost and virtual RAM from that helps as opposed to the bottleneck of SATA.

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Kathryn_Cadbury@reddit

I'd be concerned your build isn't optimised, as its somewhat surprising to see a standard 'office' build struggle like that. We use O365 (W11 builds) and Office 2019 (W10 builds), VPNs, Creative Cloud, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Zoom etc and a whole host of browser and local install applications (HE, Uni) and most users have docks and go out to at least 1 24" screen, with the majority running 2x 24"s and their laptop.

Half of our fleet (3k plus) are still 3-5 year old Acer's with 8GB (mix of w10/11) and they work perfectly fine. I'm using one right now to write this (it's my home unit - i5-10210U, 8GB, 256GB SSD). My office laptop is an HP on w11 and performance is around the same.

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Fair_Pomegranate2535@reddit (OP)

What kind of stuff do you do to optimize the OS and MS Apps?

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SHANE523@reddit

There are scripts out there for your initial build that will remove a lot of Windows bloat, XBox crap and such.
Turn widgets off for example.
Look in start up apps or use MSCONFIG or better AUTORUNS, disable that don't really need to open all of the time. That is a good start.

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sebf@reddit

1 better quality monitor, with top notch stands, plus laptop is enough.

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KingRafe@reddit

We have a lot older users. Our big focus is on moving to 27inch monitors. It’s helps them move around easier and see saw things better. Most users i7,16gb, 512gb, but not moving to 32gb ram

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Hollow3ddd@reddit

We have measure our apps and general user usage. They might be reserving all that RAM, but they are not actively using it. No need to go over 16GB, and zero points to go over 8GB for a few who use 1-2 apps and 4 websites.

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finalpolish808@reddit

14" laptop, i5, 32GB RAM but 256GB HD, 24" monitor, USB C dock

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nerdyviking88@reddit

Same . Forced then to use OneDrive

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statikuz@reddit

Dell Pro Plus Ryzen/32 GB laptops, Dell docking stations (have not jumped on the docking monitor bandwagon yet). Just refreshed with 27" 1440p monitors (spreadsheets and more and more web UIs are straining that horizontal bandwidth, and even if people run them at 125% scaling it is easier on their eyes). Whatever Logitech wireless combo is the thing these days, everyone will want a different keyboard and mouse anyway.

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piniatadeburro@reddit

Lenovo Thinkcentre AIO 24" and matching monitor with the same specs, we try to get AIO and monitors to be adjustable so any ergonomic issues can be avoided.

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texcleveland@reddit

Does matter what is “typical” it matters if your employees can do the work they’re tasked with with the equipment they’re given.

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Trancemaster213@reddit

Been buying dell pro pluses for my org with the ultra 5 and 16gb of nonsoldered memory so we can upgrade for half the cost from dell. You can spec these to your requirements. Last quote i had for 32gb was soldered, which may be faster, but bumped the costs from 1500 to 2150 each..

Wd25 docking stations

27” amazon basic monitors

Logitech h390 headset does the job and relatively inexpensive

Logitech mk370 keyboard and mouse

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Dear_Studio7016@reddit

That’s about what we run at my hospital. But Bluetooth is off for us.