Windows Vista Requirements

Andrew K: Windows Vista has modest minimum system requirements that everyone with a system from within the last 5 years should have no problem meeting. Simply adding more system memory (RAM) is the most anyone with a less than 5 year old system should have to do to meet them. The most noticeable change with Windows Vista will be the new Aero interface and for that you will need an Aero-capable DirectX 9-class graphics card. This is what the majority of older systems will need upgrades for. Since this is one of the main reasons to get Windows Vista just about everyone should avoid the Vista Home Basic and Vista Standard Editions since neither supports the new Aero interface. The various editions of Windows Vista can make a purchasing decision rather confusing. Advanced users can look at The Windows Vista Secret Decoder Ring and Understanding the Vista Product Editions to get an overview of the main features in each edition. Most users will fall into one of the following categories:

• Basic Home User (Internet + Email) - Vista Home Basic
• General Home User - Vista Home Premium
• Gamer - Vista Home Premium or Vista Ultimate
• Small Business User - Vista Business or Vista Ultimate
• Corporate IT - Vista Enterprise

Read the whole requirements from Andrew K’s Vista’s Requirements here.