The basic guidelines are listed below for both desktop and laptop computer systems. Immediately after the guidelines is some information that you should take into consideration as you make your purchase. Remember that most undergraduate students will be in school for 4 years. Given the pace of new software and hardware development, a student that buys a low end computer now may need to purchase a more powerful machine in a couple of years. Non-interlaced mode helps to reduce flicker in the monitor that can cause eyestrain and headaches.
Dot pitch measures the space between pixels.
The bottom line is that it should be comfortable for you to look at it for long stretches of time. EIDE is a lower end standard for hard disks and the Ultra ATA drives are rapidly replacing them. If you have sufficient financial resources, you can consider a SCSI-based disk but you would be better off spending the money on a bigger hard disk, more RAM, or better video. The mouse is virtually necessary for running Windows software. Avoid any mouse that has squared corners anywhere on the top or side surfaces, as these will be uncomfortable in use.