Microsoft Lays Out System Requirements to Run Vista

[Itsme]

Microsoft Lays Out System Requirements to Run Vista
Thursday, May 18, 2006
By John Spooner

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx

As expected, the software giant on May 18 unveiled its Windows Vista Get Ready Web site, along with a set of minimum PC hardware guidelines for Vista Capable PCs — which call for at least an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and a DirectX 9-capable graphics processor, but ask for more for those who seek to use all of Vista's features — and an Windows Upgrade Advisor application as part of a campaign to prepare people.

[zero2dash]

In the CTP 5342 build I have, it has that hardware advisor that ranks your computer and also breaks down the core components that Vista needs, on a scale of 1-4. I had it running on my laptop for awhile, and my scores were pretty decent (2s and 3s) except for my 'onboard video' garbage which got like a 1 and drug the entire score down to a 1 I think.

I wonder if they've tweaked it to be a little more "nice" with the video card requirements...and I also wonder when Beta 2 is coming out. (Paul Thurrott's last look was at CTP 5365.)

[Grubbie]

In the CTP 5342 build I have, it has that hardware advisor that ranks your computer and also breaks down the core components that Vista needs, on a scale of 1-4. I had it running on my laptop for awhile, and my scores were pretty decent (2s and 3s) except for my 'onboard video' garbage which got like a 1 and drug the entire score down to a 1 I think.

I wonder if they've tweaked it to be a little more "nice" with the video card requirements...and I also wonder when Beta 2 is coming out. (Paul Thurrott's last look was at CTP 5365.)


The problem is your onboard video cards most likely doesn't have a lot of video ram. Mostly, it it telling you that you can't run glass with your onboard videocard.

[Jeffbx]

You wanna be careful with the drivers, as well.

I have an absolute beast of a system -

Precision M90
Duo core 2GHz/667Mhz bus
2GB DDR2 667 RAM
512MB Quadro FX 2500M video card

and it came up with a rating of 1, I suspect because the beta video drivers didn't work properly.

[zero2dash]

The problem is your onboard video cards most likely doesn't have a lot of video ram. Mostly, it it telling you that you can't run glass with your onboard videocard.

Oh it runs Aero (I think you meant Aero :)) ok - the CTP I have lets you actually choose which version of Vista to run (I think it runs "Ultimate Edition" by default which has Aero)...it's just because of the fact that it shares RAM with the system memory which is...arse. (Even though I have 768 megs in my laptop).

Specs:
AthlonXP 2200+ (1.8g clock speed)
768 megs DDR266 (PC2100) ram (highest speed it'll take)
ATI Mobility Radeon

It runs Vista ok (other than the fact I'm running a beta OS and thus it crashes) - now that Jeffbx mentions it, he's probably right that Vista doesn't do too well with ranking a system yet. I'm going to run that downloadable check that Microsoft's got up now and see what it says.

Either way, I'm 'meh'...Vista's really nice, but XP's still doing a good enough job for me. :shrug:

[Grubbie]

Zero, there is a difference between running glass and still running glass even though your gpu can't handle it :)

Jeff, did it stay as a rating of one after you retested your ratings?

[Jeffbx]

I haven't bothered to retest it since the nVidia beta drivers are still not working properly for the card in the machine (it's a pretty new card).

If I get updated drivers I'll re-run the test.