For example, the average connection time for a Mac is less than 30 minutes, including both the physical connection and software installation. The same operation for a PC is normally several hours. So, while the same amount of resources are applied in networking both types of platforms, more Mac's than PC's can be connected to the network during a given period of time. The cost of networking the various types of computers is a function of the amount of networking hardware that is built into the computer plus the expense of the networking port that connects the computer to the campus network. These components vary greatly between types of computers.
Some computers provide almost everything needed for networking while others come with nothing.