Windows Vista System Requirements

Personal computing is governed by two inexorable, and not unrelated, "laws":

Moore's Law Processing power doubles every 18 months (from Gordon Moore, cofounder of Intel).

Parkinson's Law of Data Data expands to fill the space available for storage (from the original Parkinson's Law: Work expands to fill the time available).

These two observations help explain why, when the computers we use are becoming increasingly powerful, our day-to-day tasks never really seem all that much faster. The leaps in processing power and memory are being matched by the increasing complexity and resource requirements of the latest programs. So the computer you're using today might be twice as muscular as the one you were using a year and a half ago, but the applications you're using are twice the size and require twice as many resources.

Windows fits neatly into this scenario. With each new release of Microsoft's flagship operating system, the hardware requirements become more stringent, and our computers' processing power is taxed a little more. Windows Vista is no exception. Even though Microsoft spent an enormous amount of time and effort trying to shoehorn Vista into a minimal system configuration, you need a reasonably powerful computer if you don't want to spend most of your day cursing the dreaded hourglass icon. The good news is that Windows Vista's hardware requirements are nowhere near as onerous as many people believed they would be. In fact, most midrange or better systems purchased in the past year or two should run Vista without a problem. The next few sections present a rundown of the system requirements you need to meet in order to install and work with Windows Vista. Note that I give both the minimum requirements as stipulated by Microsoft, and a set of "reasonable" requirements that I believe you need to make working with Vista more or less pleasurable.

Processor Requirements

Vista desktop minimum: 800MHz modern processor

For adequate Vista performance, you need at least a midrange processor, which means an Intel Pentium 4 or Celeron, or an AMD Athlon or Sempron running at 2.663.0GHz. Faster is better, of course, but only if money is no object. Moving up to 3.2GHz or 3.6GHz might set you back a few hundred dollars, but the performance improvement won't be all that noticeable. You'd be better off investing those funds either in extra memory (discussed below) or in a dual-core processor.

Note

What does dual-core mean? It describes a CPU that combines two separate processors, each with its own cache memory, on a single chip. (The cache memory is an on-board storage area that the processor uses to store commonly used bits of data. The bigger the cache, the greater the performance.) This enables the operating system to perform two tasks at once without a performance hit. For example, you could work in your word processor or spreadsheet program in the foreground using one processor, while the other processor takes care of a background spyware or virus check. Current examples of dual-core processors are the Intel Pentium D series and Pentium Extreme Edition, and the AMD Athlon 64 X2.

The 64-bit processors are becoming more affordable, and they run the 64-bit version of Vista like a dream (one of my Vista test machines was 64-bit, and it was a pleasure to use). Look for a 64-bit Pentium 4 or any of the several x64 chips available from AMD. Note, however, that although these 64-bit machines can run 32-bit applications without a performance hit, those programs will not run any faster with the wider bus. To see a speed boost with your applications, you have to wait for 64-bit versions of Windows Vista and the applications you intend to run on it.

Memory Requirements

Vista minimum: 512MB

You can run Vista on a system with 512MB of RAM, but the performance will be quite slow. Admittedly, I've been running beta versions of Vista, which are always slower than release versions because they contain debugging code and are works-in-progress as far as optimization goes. However, I believe that, for most people, 1GB is a more realistic minimum for day-to-day work, and that's how much RAM Microsoft recommends for "Windows Vista Premium Ready" systems. If you regularly have many programs running at the same time, or if you use programs that manipulate digital photos or play music, consider moving up to 1.5GB. If you do extensive work with large files such as databases, or if you use programs that manipulate digital videos, 2GB should be your RAM goal.

Note, however, that if you select a 64-bit processor, you should seriously consider upgrading your system RAM. The conventional wisdom is that because 64-bit machines deal with data in chunks that are twice the size of those in 32-bit machines, you need twice the memory to take full advantage of the 64-bit advantage. So if you'd normally have 1GB of RAM in a 32-bit machine, opt for 2GB in your 64-bit computer.

Finally, consider the speed of the memory. Older DDR (double data rate) memory chips typically operate at between 100MHz (PC-1600) and 200MHz (PC-3200), while newer DDR2 chips run between 200MHz (PC2-3200) and 533MHz (PC2-8500). The up-and-coming DDR3 chips will operate at between 400 and 800MHz, which is a substantial speed boost and should improve Vista performance noticeably.

Note

Memory module numbers such as PC-3200 and PC2-8500 tell you the theoretical bandwidth of the memory. For example, PC-3200 implies a theoretical bandwidth of 3200MBps. To calculate theoretical bandwidth, you first multiply the base chip speed by 2 to get the effective clock speed. (Modern memory is double-pumped, which means data is transferred at the beginning and the end of each clock cycle.) You then multiply the effective clock speed by 8 (because the memory path is 64 bites wide and there are 8 bits in each byte). So a 100MHz chip has an effective clock speed of 200MHz and, therefore, a theoretical bandwidth of 1600MBps, so it is called PC-1600 memory.

The System Rating

One of the new features in Windows Vista is a system rating that Vista calculates for each computer on which it's installed. As shown in Figure 2.1, this rating appears in the System window (on the Start menu, right-click Computer and then click Properties). The rating is a numeric value that's based on the ratings given to your computer's processor, how much RAM is installed on your system, your graphics card and RAM, and the GPU's gaming graphics performance.

Figure 2.1. Windows Vista rates your system's performance.

Why would Microsoft calculate such a rating? Certainly, it's not to let you know whether your machine is capable of running Vista, because of course you need to install and run Vista to see the rating. Instead, the system rating is part of the performance calculations that the Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT) generates. This tool analyzes your system so that applications that support WinSAT (particularly games) can enable or disable certain features based on their performance.

Note

For more detailed information on WinSAT, see the section "Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT)," in Chapter 5, "Vista Performance and Maintenance."

Storage Requirements

Vista hard disk free space minimum: 15GB

The disk space requirements depend on which version of Vista you're installing, but count on the new OS requiring at least 15GB free space to install. The OS will use perhaps another few gigabytes for the storage of things such as the paging file, System Restore checkpoints, Internet Explorer temporary file, and the Recycle Bin, so Vista will require at least 20GB of storage. These days, of course, it's not the operating system that usurps the most space on our hard drives; it's the massive multimedia files that now seem to be routine for most of us. Multimegabyte digital photos and spreadsheets, and even multigigabyte database files and digital video files are not unusual. Fortunately, hard disk storage is dirt cheap these days, with most disks costing lessoften much lessthan a dollar a gigabyte.

Note, too, that the type of hard drive can affect performance. An older IDE drive that spins at 5,400RPM will be a significant performance bottleneck. Moving up to a 7,200RPM drive will help immeasurably, and a 10,000RPM drive is even better if you don't mind the extra expense. You should also consider moving from the older, parallel IDE technology to the new Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) drives, which are at least theoretically faster (with data-transfer rates starting at 150MBps). Look for a SATA drive with an 8MB cache and Native Command Queuing (NCQ).

Note

Native Command Queuing (NCQ) is a relatively new hard-disk technology aimed at solving a long-standing hard-disk performance problem. Requests for hard-drive data are stored in the memory controller and are handled in sequence by the disk's on-board controller. Unfortunately, whenever the controller processes requests for data that is stored in areas that are far away from each other, it causes a significant performance hit. For example, suppose request 1 is for data stored near the start of the disk, request 2 is for data near the end of the disk, and request 3 is again for data near the start of the disk. In a typical hard disk, the read/write heads must travel from the start of the disk to the end, and then back again, processing each request in the order it was received. With NCQ, the controller reorders the requests so that the 1 and 3, which are close to each other, are carried out first, and only then is the distant request 2 carried out.

Finally, you should also bear in mind that one of Windows Vista's new features is the ability to burn data to recordable DVDs. To take advantage of this, your system requires a DVD burner, preferably one that supports both the DVD-RW and DVD+RW disc formats (that is, a DVD±RW drive).

Note

To learn more about Vista's new DVD features, see the section "DVD Authoring," in Chapter 9, "Digital Media in Windows Vista."

Graphics Requirements

Vista graphics memory minimum: 32MB

You'll be learning a lot more about Vista's graphical underpinnings in Chapter 3, "The Windows Vista Interface." For now, however, it's important to note that Microsoft is taking a sensibly cautious route to graphics requirements. Vista's interface is graphics intensive, but it will be smart enough to adopt a less intensive interface based on what your PC can handle. Whether Vista holds back on the visual bells and whistles depends on whether you have a separate AGP or PCI Express graphics adapter (as opposed to an integrated motherboard graphics chip), the capability of the card's graphics processing unit (GPU), and how much graphics memory the card has on board:

• If Vista detects a low-end card, it defaults to the Windows Classic theme, which offers a Windows 2000like interface.

• If Vista detects a card with medium-range capabilities, it uses the new Aero theme, but without the Glass effects (such as transparency).

• If Vista detects a high-end card, it defaults to the full Aero Glass interface.

To get the beautiful Aero Glass look as well as the new 3D and animated effects, your system should have a graphics processor that supports DirectX 9, Pixel Shader 2.0 (in hardware, not as a software emulation), and 32 bits per pixel, and comes with a device driver that supports the new Windows Vista Display Driver Model (WDDM). (If you purchase a new video card, look for the Windows Vista Capable or Windows Vista Premium Ready logo on the box. If you just need to upgrade the driver for an existing graphics card, look for "WDDM" in the drive name or description.)

The amount of onboard memory you need depends on the resolution you plan to use (assuming you're using a single monitor; for dual monitors, double the memory):

• If you'll be using a basic 800x600 or 1024x768 resolution, 32MB is enough.

• If you want to run up to 1280x1024, then you need at least 64MB.

• If you want to run up to 1920x1200, then you need at least 128MB.

Tip

Graphics memory is like system memory: You can never have too much, and it's always a good investment to buy a card that has much as you can get. One of Microsoft's Vista FAQs said it best: "The most [graphics] memory your bank account can afford is the ticket."

Before the final release of Vista, it wasn't clear whether any integrated graphics chips would support the full Aero Glass interface, although I've seen reports that some integrated graphics hardwaresuch as the Intel 945 and the ATI Radeon XPress X200can handle Aero Glass.

Hardware Requirements for Various Vista Features

Windows Vista is a big, sprawling program that can do many things, so it's not surprising that there is a long list of miscellaneous equipment you might need, depending on what you plan to do with your system. Table 2.1 provides a rundown.

Table 2.1. Equipment Required for Various Windows Vista Tasks

Task	Required Equipment
Using the Internet	For a dial-up connection: A modem, preferably one that supports 56Kbps connections.
	For a broadband connection: A cable or DSL modem and a router for security.
Networking	For a wired connection: A network adapter, preferably one that supports Fast Ethernet (100Mbps) connections, a network switch or hub, and network cables.
	For a wireless connection: A wireless adapter that supports IEEE 802.11a or g and a wireless access point.
Handwriting	A Tablet PC with a digital pen or a graphics tablet.
Photo editing	A USB slot for connecting the digital camera. If you want to transfer the images from a memory card, you need the appropriate memory card reader.
Document scanning	A document scanner or an all-in-one printer that includes scanning capabilities.
Faxing	A modem that includes fax capabilities.
Ripping and burning CDs	For ripping: A CD or DVD drive.
	For burning: A recordable CD drive.
Burning DVDs	A recordable DVD drive.
Video editing	An internal or external video-capture device, or an IEEE 1394 (FireWire) port.
Videoconferencing	A webcam or a digital camera that has a webcam mode.
Listening to digital audio files	A sound card or integrated audio, as well as speakers or headphones.
	For the best sound, use a subwoofer with the speakers.
Listening to radio	A radio tuner card.
Watching TV	A TV tuner card (preferably one that supports video capture). A remote control is useful if you are watching the screen from a distance.