Scot Finnie installed four of Vista's six versions and tells you what's in them, what hardware you need to run them, and what to think about Microsoft bumping consumer Vista to 2007.
By Scot Finnie
InformationWeek
Mar 22, 2006 05:29 PM
Recommended System RequirementsBusinesses and end-users making PC and notebook purchase decisions this year have a tough row to hoe. Windows XP is beginning to near the end of its service life, so any PC you buy this year should probably be capable of being upgraded to Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Home Premium with full Vista Aero video support. Based on the research for this story, I'm recommending these system requirements for those two classes of Windows Vista versions:
Windows Vista Business:- Minimum: 1.4GHz minimum Pentium 4/Pentium M/Centrino Intel or comparable AMD CPU; AGP or PCI Express 3D video coprocessor with at least 64MB of video RAM that supports DirectX 9 and has Vista WDDM driver; 80GB hard drive; minimum 512MB of RAM (1GB if your video card uses system RAM).
- Preferred: 2GHz Pentium 4/Pentium M/Centrino Intel or comparable AMD CPU; dedicated graphics card with at least 128MB video RAM; 1GB or more system RAM; 7200RPM 120MB SATA hard drive.
Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate:- Minimum: 1.8GHz minimum Pentium 4/Pentium M/Centrino Intel or comparable AMD CPU; dedicated graphics card with at least 128MB video RAM; 1GB or more system RAM; 7200RPM 120MB SATA hard drive.
- Preferred: 3.0GHz minimum Pentium 4/Pentium M/Centrino Intel or comparable AMD CPU (or dual-core motherboard); dedicated graphics card with 256MB video RAM; 2GB of RAM; 7200RPM 200MB SATA hard drive (more storage required for heavy Media Center usage).
