Bulky System Requirements for Windows Vista

unsurreal writes ""A Tech Strategist within Microsoft, Nigel Page, has gone on record to discuss the hardware requirements for Windows Vista, due out next Christmas." The next year is going to be an interesting one as hardware vendors smile towards the shocking new recommended hardware needed for the next generation Windows operating system." From the article: "Graphics: Vista has changed from using the CPU to display bitmaps on the screen to using the GPU to render vectors. This means the entire display model in Vista has changed. To render the screen in the GPU requires an awful lot of memory to do optimally - 256MB is a happy medium, but you'll actually see benefit from more. Microsoft believes that you're going to see the amount of video memory being shipped on cards hurtle up when Vista ships." Coverage available at Tom's Hardware as well, with a semi-transcript at Tech Ed.

seriously

[LiquidMind]

A: "wow, that's a sweet rig, where'd you get that?"
B: "It came with my purchase of Windows Vista."

It's kinda like those people that drive with huge-ass spoilers on their tiny cars. Did the car come with the spoiler or did the spoiler come with the car?

Perfect time to bust out that laptop!

[KingEomer]

We should be able to run this on our new 6.8Ghz 2TB HD 1TB RAM laptops!

Re:Hey, let's all take turns bashing Microsoft!

[eklitzke]

Good idea ;)

Re:Third party replacement

[eobanb]

Wouldn't be too hard to write code to redirect all the 3d vector nonsense back into standard GDI calls.

Hey, great, let me know when you're done.

Re:Heard this before

[ackthpt]

Every new version of windows has beefed up the requirements, and I've always found them usable with less than they say.

I recall the first install of Win 95, the packaging said Minimum 8 MB RAM. Yes, if you don't mind paging on those slow old MFM/RLL 20/30 MB drives over your pokey ISA bus. 12 MB was manageable, with patience. 16 MB was tolerable. 24 MB and up was comfortable. This on a 33 MHz 486.

When I bought my first Pentium with 64 MB and Win 98 it was apparent almost from day 1 that 64 MB was just barely enough to run one application at a time. 2 apps and I was paging and anything over that and it was an exercise in masochism.

My 2.6 MHz Athlon started life with WinXP and 256 MB. Which was fine for the limited things I did, though I noticed (thanks to the task manager) that half of it was tied up before I launched any apps. 1.25 GB has made for a decent system. The first graphics card was a 64 MB generic card which cost a measely $37 and I keep it around for when the big deluxe card decides it's going to have a bad patch.

I think as much as I groan about XP that's where I'll stop with regard to Microsoft. I don't want to overburden my new 64 bit CPU just trying to do the basics.

Somewhat offtopic, but...

[Anonymous Coward]

I was on linux.com today, and noticed an advertisement for windows server system. The link (from linux.com):
http://www.microsoft.com/canada/getthefacts/defaul t.mspx [microsoft.com]

Please, everybody go out and get the unadultered truth today. Abandon this "*nix" thing and buy microsoft today. I urge you to quit the foolishness of free software as quickly as possible. Let's be rid of source-code sharing forever.

Thank you.

Re:640 GB should be enough for anyone...

[b100dian]

I wonder what this will do to gaming..
256 MB Video ram for the game..
256 MB Video ram for the MessageBox that says 'Cannot initialize DirectX'
4 GB of ram so you can see the messagebox the same day you ran the game.. priceless!

Re:And it's not true..

[MrAnnoyanceToYou]

Erm. Flame rescinded. Running 9 year old software for the fun of it qualifies you for an 'executive' nerd card that precludes all those incredibly nasty flames.

I still want to know whether you're missing functionality while running Vista on the mildly outdated hardware, btw.

Re:And it's not true..

[binarybum]

I don't see why Vista coming out would ruin your system like that.

  oh, wait,... are you actually going to install it?!

Already done!

[fbonnet]

It's called Direct3D software renderer

The real reason...

[angelasmark]

I'm convinced I know the real reason MS needs you to have spiffy video card. We've all pissed clippy off by making fun of him... Now we're gonna log into windows and BAM! 3D clippy. And if he finds open office icons on your desktop hes gonna kick them around like soccer balls so Joe6Pack can't use it... thats my conspiracy theory of the day....

Re:Buy NVIDIA and ATI stock

[Fizzl]

HS: "Extended warranty! How could I lose!?"
Me: "Stock tips on /.! How could I lose!?"

Re:Almost admissable proof of monopoly.

[smiffy1976]

Win XP with 32MB does not 'chug along', unless you mean the HDD. 64MB is OK, anything less is painful...

Re:256MB of video memory?

[failure-man]

Wait until you see what clippy looks like at 30 FPS. :)

As long as I can take a rocket-launcher to him at 30fps it's all good . . . . .

Re:Almost admissable proof of monopoly.

[Guy.Gregory]

640k should be enough for anybody.

Re:Almost admissable proof of monopoly.

[HTTP Error 403 403.9]

XP Pro - Bittorent - 0$
MS Office 2003 - Bittorent - 0$
Every game you can think of - Bittorent - 0$

Total - 0$

Hell, why stop there. Get a brick and a pair sneakers and that Overdrive PC sitting in the shop window is yours. Don't forget to steal a Das Keyboard.

Re:And it's not true..

[PhraudulentOne]

...that is installing SCO OpenServer 5.0.2 as I type this

And you are worried about being flamed for running MS software?

Re:Insightful?

[Bloke down the pub]

"Of course, it depends on the structure of your data structures..."

Are you sure? I thought it depended on the structure of the structure of your data structures.