14 DAY TRIAL // Vista, Microsoft's new OS, will require a little more PC power than what users are normally used to seeing. Since a lot of customers are already waiting off for the release of Vista to purchase a new computer, they should know what the future holds. The typical computer you can now get for around $300 will need some hardcore upgrades if it plans on running Vista.
According to Dell, a dedicated partner of Microsoft, models for the home and home office, the recommended desktop for Vista is priced at $1,749. The laptop costs $2,699. If we were to take a look at the minimum requirements for Vista, one would understand why the price is so high.
These hefty requirements are: 512 megabytes or more of RAM, an advanced graphics card (preferably PCI Express, as AGP is said to not be "optimal" for Vista), and an optical drive capable of reading and writing DVDs. Both 32-bit and 64-bit processors are supported, with an advantage on the 64-bit side. Most new PCs should be able to handle Vista's basic requirements in every regard except for maybe the issue of the CPU. Since most computers currently being sold have 32-bit CPUs, many customers may choose to buy new hardware in order to properly run Vista. A Microsoft Windows Vista Display Driver Module (WVDDM) graphics driver will be required for a system to run AeroGlass, the highest level of Microsoft Windows Vista graphics.
Yet, if customers plan on waiting around for Vista's release to buy a new computer, they might have to rethink their strategies. Vista has been pushed back a number of times already. With the possibility of yet another pushback, are consumers' motives validated when they choose to wait until the end of the year to make their computer purchases? When consumers do start buying new hardware, prepare to see the old 32-bit CPUs drop in price dramatically, with everyone wanting the premium 64-bit CPUs, companies might want to analyze the cost/benefit of staying with the older versions of Vista until all the bugs are hammered out of the new OS.