PriceSCAN Blog

Gates and Co.'s new operating system has some serious advantages. There's no question the Aero interface is pretty. Windows are displayed in 3-D perspective and sport translucent borders so you can more easily shuffle through them. Users who envy the cool aspects of OS X will find features to cheer, like Explorer's fully integrated search bar and thumbnails with live miniatures of windows. Critics have praised the Photo Gallery's organization and editing features, as well as easier networking.
But many of those same critics have pointed out that drivers for older peripherals are hard to come by (especially for the 64-bit version). Unsurprisingly, that cool interface comes at a price, taxing memory and processor alike. Indeed, requirements for the Premium version of Vista (which includes Aero) are significantly higher than the minimal requirements necessary for a machine to be labeled "Vista Capable". According to Microsoft, that lower standard only requires an 800 Mhz processor, 512 MB of memory and a DirectX 9 capable graphics processor. But to run Premium, the bare minimum requirements include 1 GB of RAM (and reports are you'll need a fair bit more to run many applications smoothly), 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor, DirectX 9 support with a WDDM driver, 128 GB of graphics memory, Pixel Shredder 2.0, 32 bits per pixel, 15 GB of free space on a 40 GB hard drive, a DVD-ROM drive and of course the requisite audio output and internet access.
All this may be good news for hardware manufacturers, as users of less advanced systems find their machines choke on Redmond's new offering and feel compelled to upgrade. While increased demand may tend to at least stabilize hardware prices, this space has become intensely competitive, and many firms may see this as an opportunity to grab market share even if they have to forgo some per unit revenue. So if your old system can't be made to embrace Redmond's new Vista, be sure to compare prices here before buying, as you may find some outstanding deals in the ensuing upgrade melee.