I apparently was too optimistic <G> in my comments about system
requirements in my earlier post about Windows Vista. Karen Northum,
an IT tech and certified Microsoft systems engineer sent me the
following information to pass along to you all who may be
contemplating Vista. She mentions power supplies, which completely
slipped my mind. All the computing power required by Vista naturally
increases power supply demands. Most towers have 350-450 watt power
supplies, Karen recommends at least a 500 watt supply, and more is
better; so plan on that additional expense if upgrading. If buying a
system to replace rather than upgrade an existing one, check the
system configuration carefully, especially the power supply.
BTW, I hope I made it clear that the DVD drive is an absolute
must. Both Vista and Office07 ship on dvd's not cd's. They have
swollen to such a size that MS made the cost effective (for them)
decision of shipping only on a dvd rather than multiple cd's.
Karen's suggestions:
-------------------------
"You are basically right in saying Vista will require more robust
components than XP. However you didn't
go far enough. Vista actually requires more horsepower than you indicated.
A 2Ghz processor is preferred. Install the 64 bit version of Vista if
possible. This will allow more Ram to be seen and used by system.
After that bump the RAM to 2G minimum. Depending on applications and
system board Ram Slots, Vista will be able to use up to 16G if the 64
bit version is installed.
Install 256G graphics card. I prefer nVidia but ATI is also a viable
choice. Sapphire is a cheaper version which uses the ATI chip. nVidia
sells under different brands such as, Asus, EVGA, XFX, BFG and others.
A 7200RPM Hard Drive should be minimum. 10,000rpm is better for heavy
duty applications. Large enough hard drive are pretty much standard
these days. It would probably be best to use no less than 80G. Those
using heavy duty graphics applications and other storage intense
applications might consider more than one drive or a 300G or larger
drive.
Don't forget these robust requirements increase the power consumption,
something manufacturers forget to tell you. Get a 500w or more minimum
power supply, depending on peripherals, CDRWs, DVD Burners, USB devices,
etc.
To make it really simple;
The fastest Intel Core 2 duo you can afford. Very good cpu and it runs
cooler than older duo core or Pentium chips, which is important as heat
lessens computer life.
2-4G RAM, nVidia or ATI 256MB video card, DirectX 10 capable with
support for WDDM (Windows Display
Driver Model Driver)
Creative Sound Blaster audio card
Western Digital 7200rpm Hard Drive, 250G or greater Western Digital
10,000rpm Raptor would be good but it's pricey
500-600w power supply, check carefully as not all power supplies are
equal. Most don't actually deliver what they are rated for.
1Ghz Network card
Wifi"
---------------------------
She makes a final, rather pointed comment (which I agree with completely):
"Vista was written on an entirely new platform so many older apps may not
work which may necessitate purchasing new and more expensive software.
It has some interesting features but keep in mind it's driven by the
need for some people to make lots of money. The more you have to buy
the more people make lots of money.
On the other hand in less than 5 years, XP will be so old it will be
past it's end-of-life cycle. Computers will be ever faster and more
powerful and a new Operating System will have been released by
Microsoft. So at some point if you stay with Windows you will
eventually be forced to upgrade. Just the nature of the beast and the
way business is unfortunately done."
Mark Williams
Consulting Librarian
Professional Services for Conferences, Districts, Workshops
markwilliams@makaw.net
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