About half of the business PCs in use will be able to
run the full features of Microsoft's forthcoming Windows Vista
operating system, analyst firm Gartner has warned.
Most companies will need to upgrade their desktop IT
significantly to run Vista. This is likely to raise the cost of
individual desktops, and multiply hardware costs across large PC
installations, said Gartner, raising the question of whether
companies need to upgrade.
"For most organisations with more than 1,000 users, our general
answer is no. Based on what we have seen so far, we believe that,
for most large organisations, it will not be possible to fully
justify the cost of a full 'forklift' migration of all PCs," said
Gartner.
Microsoft has recommended a desktop hardware specification for
Vista that includes a fast dual-core processor, 1Gbyte of system
memory and a high-end fast graphics card.
The high specification is due to the Aero user interface, which
is on by default in Vista. Reliability and visual enhancements in
Aero require advanced graphics hardware and processing
technologies. Its features include translucent window frames and
task bar, real-time thumbnail previews and task switching,
transitional effects and animations.
All Windows Vista users will be able to run the basic "user
experience", which includes a redesigned start menu, taskbar, new
dialogue boxes, improved control panel and new workflows for common
tasks, said Gartner. But for the full benefit, Microsoft recommends
users deploy PCs that meet the X32 and X64 "designed for Windows"
requirements, which specify 1Gbyte memory and a Windows
Aero-capable graphics card.
PC supplier Dell said businesses were typically buying its
Optiplex GX520 and Optiplex GX620 desktops, which have dual-core
Intel Pentium D processors, 512Mbytes of Ram and 80Gbyte hard
drives.
For running Vista and its Aero graphics, Dell recommended upping
the system memory, and buying a premium graphics card such as those
usually seen in computer games machines.
Vista is the first Windows operating system that has a user
experience that can scale to the hardware capabilities of the
computer it is installed on, according to Microsoft. PCs that are
Windows Vista-capable and equipped with appropriate memory and
graphics cards can take full advantage of the new user interface,
while machines meeting the minimum Vista specification are able to
run a less sophisticated user interface.
Gartner said, "The Aero experience will require a dual-channel
[graphics] memory configurationÊ- something few corporate buyers
specify on purchases today."
PCs running Vista will require:
- Dual-core or Pentium-class processor
- 1Gbyte dual-channel system memory
- Premium graphics card such as ATI or Nvidia.
Source: Microsoft
What is Aero?
Aero is a new desktop interface for Windows Vista that provides
a stable and more secure user interface. It features translucent
effects for Vista's menus and desktop, high-resolution graphics,
animation support, and more detailed menus and other visual
elements. It also has more intuitive toolbars and navigation, said
Microsoft.