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Old 05-18-2006, 06:33 PM   #1
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Vista Hardware Requirements

From this article :

Quote:
Windows Vista's recommended settings according to Microsoft, then according to Ars

5/18/2006 11:34:47 AM, by Ken Fisher

Microsoft today will unveil a new website aimed at informing consumers about Windows Vista's hardware requirements, among other things. As we reported earlier, there are two levels of recommendations for Windows Vista, those dubbed "Vista-Capable" and those dubbed "Premium-Ready." Microsoft has now revealed the specs in each category, and here they are:
Minimum Requirements (Vista-Capable PCs):
  • 800 MHz Intel-compatible processor
  • 512MB of RAM
  • DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor
  • 20GB HD
Recommended Requirements (Premium-Ready PCs):
  • 1 GHz Intel-compatible processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor, with 128MB graphics memory. (64MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels [no more than 1440x900]; 128MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels [no more than 1920x1200]; 256MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels [more than 1920x1200]).
  • 40GB HD with at least 15GB "free space"
What's the difference between the two recommendations? Machines that are only "Vista Capable" can indeed run Vista, but as we reported earlier, those machines will not be able to run the new Aero user interface.

For the PC enthusiast, the specifications—even for the "premium" experience—are tame. Joe Consumer might not feel the same way, however. 1GB of system RAM has not been common in default OEM configurations from companies such as Dell until recently, although most have been eager to sell upgrades. In fact, while 1GB of RAM is standard across Dell's popular XPS line, their bargain-oriented "Basic Desktops" still come standard with 256MB or 512MB of RAM, although upgrades are still possible. (I shudder at the thought of running Windows XP with only 256MB or 512MB of RAM!)

Indeed, part of today's announcement will highlight the release of a system-scanning tool aimed at letting users just what they need to upgrade in their system to meet either level of support. Of course, we here in the Orbiting HQ want to stress that these specification recommendations are minimum, minimum, minimum! If you have a PC with a 1 GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 128MB DirectX 9.0-compliant video card... you'd be insane to install Windows Vista (in our not-so-humble opinions.)

Until the OS is shipping, it is difficult to make recommendations that we can stick by, but our own experience with the recent beta release and other builds leads us to suggest the following emendation to Microsoft's specs: you should have a 2.5 GHz Intel-compatible "P4 generation" processor or better (which includes the newer, lower-clocked Core Solos and Duos) to even think about upgrading. 1GB of RAM will see you through tough times, but Jean Claude Van Dam would mostly certainly want 2GB of RAM in his system before fighting for the free world. We think you should plan on it, too.
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Old 05-18-2006, 07:22 PM   #2
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holy hell.......should be fun
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Old 05-18-2006, 09:31 PM   #3
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Ugh, 15GB.
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Old 05-18-2006, 09:34 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FrenchToast
Ugh, 15GB.
I'd insert something about "bloat" here but even Linux is getting portly. The brightside with Linux is that I can strip the OS down quite a bit by eliminating modules and programs that I know I don't need...a pity we cannot "streamline any Windows OS".
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Old 05-18-2006, 10:00 PM   #5
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what's vista? the new xp thingy?
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Old 05-18-2006, 10:28 PM   #6
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M$'s next OS.
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Old 05-18-2006, 10:50 PM   #7
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Running XP pro is HELL at 800MHz and 512 Ram...
How the HELL would Vista run on that?
It MIGHT boot after 72 years of loading.

M$ doesn't understand that OSs NEED to be compatible with older hardware. The average user it NOT running with 1GB ram. There are still people running with 256 MB of Ram... HELL, Dell still sells computers with 256 MB starting Ram!
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Old 05-18-2006, 10:57 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FrenchToast
Ugh, 15GB.
I somehow doubt Vista itself will be 15GB in size, there must be an other reason Microsoft decided to advise this (swapfile, external applications, redundant media data).

Quote:
M$ doesn't understand that OSs NEED to be compatible with older hardware. The average user it NOT running with 1GB ram. There are still people running with 256 MB of Ram... HELL, Dell still sells computers with 256 MB starting Ram!
Windows XP is more than adequate for these users.
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Old 05-19-2006, 12:43 AM   #9
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"Nigel Page is a strategist with Microsoft Australia. He told APC today that Vista would work best on a video card with more than 256MB RAM, 2GB of DDR3 memory and a S-ATA 2 hard drive."

He then goes on to say:
quote: ""One of the things you'll notice about Vista beta 1 is that it runs dramatically quicker than Windows XP. The reason is the GPU is now doing a lot of work that the CPU used to have to do. There are a couple of gotchas though. The GPU needs a very high speed bi-directional bus to communicate with main memory. That has not been the case in the past, and what it means is that AGP will not be optimal.


"The reason is that one of the things the LDDM can do is allow a video card to back stuff off into the PC's main memory if it has a particularly intensive task and needs the video RAM to work in. That's an intensely bi-directional type of communication.


"The GPU will need a plenty of room to operate in Vista. The more memory you put on a video card the better really. We want the least dumping back to main memory because that's slower than graphics. If you have 128MB that's good, if you have 256MB that's better, but I expect that video card memory will go up a lot when Longhorn is released. "



Lin'Q
http://www.apcstart.com/teched/pivot/entry.php?id=6
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Old 05-19-2006, 12:54 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mooga
Running XP pro is HELL at 800MHz and 512 Ram...
How the HELL would Vista run on that?
It MIGHT boot after 72 years of loading.

M$ doesn't understand that OSs NEED to be compatible with older hardware. The average user it NOT running with 1GB ram. There are still people running with 256 MB of Ram... HELL, Dell still sells computers with 256 MB starting Ram!
You make it sound like its like pulling teeth running XP on a system like that. I have XP pro on my laptop which is a P3 900 with 256 mb of ram. It runs perfectly fine.
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Old 05-19-2006, 12:55 AM   #11
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I'm suprised at the utilisation they are talking about, specifically that GPU's will now be taking some of the pressure off CPU's. I want to see it in action to be honest and not with a killer pc but the average joe public as time of release.

It's a bold step by MS anyway, I can only imagine how severely changed Taskmanager will now be lol.
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Old 05-19-2006, 02:38 AM   #12
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Just an observation:
You know what's NOT witty/original/cool anymore? "M$" or "Micro$oft." Guess what? EVERY company is out to make money, isn't it SHOCKING? It's not like you EVER see "Pep$i", "Be$t Buy", or "Walgreen$", for some reason Microsoft is the only company on EARTH that is looking for a profit.
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Old 05-19-2006, 04:55 AM   #13
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But Microsoft goes at getting that profit in very underhanded and nasty ways.
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Old 05-19-2006, 04:55 AM   #14
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hehe more delays?

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news.php?newsId=3378
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Old 05-19-2006, 09:38 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Etzell
Just an observation:
You know what's NOT witty/original/cool anymore? "M$" or "Micro$oft." Guess what? EVERY company is out to make money, isn't it SHOCKING? It's not like you EVER see "Pep$i", "Be$t Buy", or "Walgreen$", for some reason Microsoft is the only company on EARTH that is looking for a profit.
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Old 05-19-2006, 09:50 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Neoro
But Microsoft goes at getting that profit in very underhanded and nasty ways.
Any examples in particular you'd like to share with the rest of us?
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Old 05-19-2006, 01:41 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Travis Dane
Any examples in particular you'd like to share with the rest of us?
Tough to find that out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Travis Dane
Windows XP is more than adequate for these users.
Heh didn't realise both quotations I was replying to came from the same person. Anyway. Your point works until the massive numbers of XP security updates dry up and support contract prices become prohibitive, as MS forces people onto Vista. This is their standard practice. They will say that they can't afford to support multiple OSes indefinitely. By this point you'll agree with them, because you'll have forgotten the argument that getting Vista entails a massive hardware upgrade. MS works on enough short-sighted people remembering the current MS argument for a short period of time, then switching rapidly to accomodate the next MS manoeuvre, which usually involves an argument diametrically opposed to the previous. People not upgrading fast enough is the enemy. People upgrading fast enough has always been the enemy.

And 15GB? Lol. DSL is 50MB. One OS that can be full-size or scale down to that? That's good engineering.
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Old 05-19-2006, 01:50 PM   #18
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MS will continue to support XP for 2 years after the release of Vista. I think that is more than adaquet for a transition period.

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

Quote:
Consumer, Hardware, Multimedia, and Microsoft Dynamics (formerly Microsoft Business Solutions) products
Microsoft will offer Mainstream support for either a minimum of 5 years from the date of a product’s general availability, or for 2 years after the successor product (N+1) is released, whichever is longer. Extended support is not offered for Consumer, Hardware, Multimedia, and Microsoft Dynamics products.
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Old 05-19-2006, 02:00 PM   #19
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That's really not very long. That logic only works if you disagree with the previous comment about how people who don't want to be forced to upgrade can stick with XP.

I wouldn't want to buy a copy of XP if I knew that in 2 years time it'll be essentially useless.
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Old 05-19-2006, 03:29 PM   #20
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When I saw the Hard Drive requirements for Vista...regardless of what the actual used size ends up being...anyone remember Bill Gates saying at one point in time that 640K was all anyone would ever need?
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