As expected, Microsoft has this week spelt out what
system requirements are needed to take full advantage of the new
features in its forthcoming Vista operating system.
The company has launched two Vista marketing programmes aimed at
PC manufacturers and retailers, which include the system
requirements needed by end users to fully benefit from Vista.
The "Vista-capable" programme lists the minimum features to be
able to run Vista, and the "Premium Ready" programme is being used
to identify PCs that can take full advantage of Vista's high-end
features.
High-end features include Microsoft’s powerful Aero graphics
system for Windows, which displays icons in 3D.
Vista-capable machines need at least an 800MHz processor, 512MB
of memory and a graphics card that can run DirectX 9 graphics.
Premium Ready machines need at least a 1GHz processor, 1GB of
main memory, and a graphics card that supports Vista's new
graphics-driver model.
A Premium Ready machine must also have 128MB of graphics memory
and 15GB of free space on the hard drive.
Microsoft has made available a downloadable tool to enable users
to test whether their existing machine can run the operating
system, and which features they will be able to use.