Computer Lab Setup Cost for Schools & Institutes in Delhi — New vs Refurbished (Per-Seat Guide)

Schools, coaching centres, skill-training institutes and colleges across Delhi set up or refresh computer labs every year — and almost every enquiry we receive starts with the same two questions: “What does it cost per seat?” and “Should we go new or refurbished?” Search for an answer and you’ll find product listings, not a budget. This guide is the budget.

CNC has supplied and installed labs for institutions since 1996, from 10-seat coaching rooms to 60-seat college labs. The numbers below are what a complete, working lab actually costs in Delhi in 2026 — hardware, network, power, furniture, software and the extras that surprise first-time buyers.

What “per seat” has to include

A per-seat number that only counts the PC is a trap. A working lab seat is the computer and monitor, plus its share of the network, the UPS, the furniture, the software licence, installation and cabling. Quotes that look cheap usually omit three or four of these.

The hardware decision: new vs refurbished

New desktops for lab use — current-generation Core i3 or equivalent, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 21.5″ LED monitor, keyboard and mouse, Windows 11 licence — run roughly ₹32,000–₹42,000 per seat in Delhi with GST invoice and three-year onsite warranty.

Certified refurbished desktops — ex-corporate 8th-gen or newer Core i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 19.5–21.5″ monitor, keyboard, mouse, genuine Windows 11 Pro, tested and warrantied — run roughly ₹13,000–₹19,000 per seat. These are business-grade machines built for five-year duty cycles, and for standard lab curricula (MS Office, Tally, Python, web development, typing, basic design) they perform identically to a new i3.

When to choose new: labs teaching video editing, 3D or engineering software; institutions with a fixed capex policy requiring new; or where a five-year-plus lifespan with single-vendor warranty is mandated. When to choose refurbished: everything else — which, honestly, is most school and coaching labs.

Per-seat cost breakdown (30-seat lab, Delhi, 2026)

Component	Refurbished lab (₹/seat)	New lab (₹/seat)
Desktop + monitor + keyboard/mouse + Windows	13,000 – 19,000	32,000 – 42,000
Networking share (cabling, switch, patch panel)	1,500 – 2,500	1,500 – 2,500
UPS share (online, sized for lab)	1,200 – 2,000	1,200 – 2,000
Lab furniture (desk share + chair)	3,500 – 6,000	3,500 – 6,000
Installation, imaging, cable management	600 – 1,000	600 – 1,000
Total per seat	19,800 – 30,500	38,800 – 53,500

Whole-lab budgets at a glance

Lab size	Refurbished (₹)	New (₹)
20 seats	4.0 – 6.1 lakh	7.8 – 10.7 lakh
30 seats	5.9 – 9.2 lakh	11.6 – 16.1 lakh
40 seats	7.9 – 12.2 lakh	15.5 – 21.4 lakh

Add one teacher workstation, a projector or display panel (₹35,000–₹80,000), and the shared items below. Prices exclude GST; educational institutions should check their GST position with their accountant.

Shared items people forget

• Teacher/admin PC and lab server or NAS for shared files and image deployment: ₹40,000–₹1,20,000.
• Projector or 65–75″ display panel with mount and cabling.
• Internet and content filtering: a business firewall with web filtering is expected in any school lab; ₹25,000–₹60,000 plus the connection.
• Software beyond Windows: Microsoft Office (education licensing is significantly cheaper — ask), Tally Educational, antivirus, classroom-management software. Budget ₹1,500–₹4,000 per seat depending on the curriculum.
• Electrical work: dedicated circuits, earthing, sockets per desk — ₹800–₹1,500 per seat by a licensed electrician.
• Air conditioning: 30 machines add real heat load; most labs need 1 ton per 8–10 seats over base cooling.
• AMC: a lab is used harder than an office. Budget 8–12% of hardware value per year for a maintenance contract with quarterly visits.

A sample 30-seat specification sheet

This is the specification we’d propose for a general-curriculum school or coaching lab in 2026, refurbished route, as a starting point for your tender or quote comparison:

• 30 × student seats: certified refurbished business desktop, 8th-gen+ Core i5, 8 GB DDR4, 256 GB SSD, Windows 11 Pro (genuine), 19.5–21.5″ LED monitor, wired keyboard and mouse, 1-year warranty (extendable).
• 1 × teacher workstation: new Core i5, 16 GB, 512 GB SSD, 24″ monitor, Windows 11 Pro.
• Display: 75″ interactive panel or 4,000-lumen projector with screen and HDMI-over-cabling.
• Network: Cat6 to every seat, 48-port managed PoE switch, 12U wall cabinet, business firewall with web filtering, 2 ceiling access points.
• Power: 6 kVA online UPS with 15–20 minutes runtime, dedicated circuits with verified earthing.
• Furniture: 15 two-seat lab desks with cable trays, 31 chairs.
• Software: Microsoft 365 Education or Office LTSC, Tally Educational, endpoint protection, classroom-management tool.
• Services: standard image, deployment, labelling, asset list, teacher training, 1-year AMC with quarterly visits.

Timeline from site readiness: cabling and power 3–4 days, hardware delivery and imaging 2 days, installation and handover 1–2 days — a working lab in about a week.

Layout and specification tips from 30 years of labs

• Use a standard disk image for every machine and a deployment tool — rebuilding a seat should take 20 minutes, not an afternoon.
• Specify SSDs without exception. A lab of mechanical-disk PCs is a lab of complaints.
• Put the network cabinet in the lab but locked; students find loose cables irresistible.
• Choose monitors with VESA mounts and desks with cable trays — the tidy lab is the durable lab.
• Buy 10% spare keyboards and mice on day one. They are consumables.
• If the lab must last five years, buy refurbished now and refresh at year three with the money saved — you’ll still be ahead of a new lab’s cost with newer hardware at the end.

How CNC delivers a lab

Site survey and electrical brief; specification matched to your curriculum; supply on one GST invoice; structured cabling; UPS; imaging and installation; teacher handover; and AMC. Delivery and setup for a 30-seat lab typically takes five to seven working days after site readiness. See our bulk computer supply for institutions and refurbished desktop range.

Funding and procurement notes for institutions

Government and aided schools in Delhi typically procure labs through tender or GeM, where the specification sheet above maps directly onto a bid document — insist that “refurbished” is defined as certified, warrantied, business-grade units with genuine Windows, or the lowest bid will be open-market used stock. Private schools and coaching institutes usually buy directly; several PC vendors and NBFCs offer institutional EMI or lease options that spread a ₹6–9 lakh lab over 24–36 months, which is worth asking about if cash flow is seasonal. Either way, ask for the quotation to separate hardware, network, power, furniture, software and services — a single lump sum hides where the money goes and makes comparison impossible.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum specification for a school computer lab in 2026?

For general curriculum: 8th-gen Core i5 or newer (or current i3), 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, 19.5″+ monitor, Windows 11. Anything below 8 GB or on a mechanical disk will feel slow within a year.

Are refurbished computers reliable enough for a lab?

Ex-corporate desktops from major brands are designed for continuous business use and, when properly tested and warrantied, have failure rates comparable to new consumer machines. The key is buying certified units with a real warranty — not open-market used stock.

Do you provide GST invoice and warranty for institutional purchases?

Yes — single GST invoice for the whole lab, itemised warranty per component, and an AMC option. CNC is GST-registered (07AAFPM8324E1ZT) and MSME-registered.

Can the lab be set up in phases?

Yes. Cabling, power and network should be done for the full lab size at the start (cheapest while the room is empty); seats can be added in batches as budget allows.

Prices and rates mentioned in this article are indicative estimates as of September 2026, exclusive of GST unless stated, and may change without notice due to exchange-rate movements, supply constraints and market demand. Please confirm current pricing and availability with CNC before making any decision.