LAWTECH GURU BLOG by Jeff Beard

Microsoft Releases New Vista Hardware Guidance

Looking to buy a new PC, but not sure what you'll need for running Windows Vista? Microsoft just released the minimum requirements for "Windows Vista Capable" PCs (that will only run the basics) and "Windows Vista Premium Ready" PCs (capable of running the advanced Aero 3D graphics).

The details are at Microsoft's Windows Vista Enterprise Hardware Planning Guidance.

If you use a larger resolution monitor (e.g., LCD panel) or dual monitors, pay special attention to the amount of graphics memory. The more overall screen resolution, the more graphics memory required. I think it's fair to say from this early information that Vista's Aero graphical interface is a video memory hog, but, as I'll show you in a minute, there's a good reason for this. This will likely drive sales of higher-end PCs with enhanced video cards. Most gamer-level PCs should do nicely, but it's also a bit more than most people would have needed when running Windows XP for business apps.

For Microsoft products video demos, check out "Bill Gates Webcasts". This one has a nice demo of Vista's 3D capabilities for displaying and switching between open Windows. Now you know why you'll need a darn good 3D video card with plenty of graphics memory, if you want the full Vista experience.