Windows Vista Capable PC hardware guidelines

Microsoft released its Vista Capable logo program which identifies computers capable of running Microsoft’s next-generation operating system and allows users to switch when it arrives in January 2007. Qualifying systems need to pass the current certification requirements for the ‘Designed for Windows XP’ logo.

They are required to offer 512MB of internal memory, a graphics card that supports Windows Vista Display Driver model drivers (WDDM) and Direct x 9 and one of several qualifying processors listed on the websites of Intel, AMD and VIA. The software giant is preparing several versions of Vista, and the logo currently indicates that a system can run Windows Vista Home Basic.

CDRInfo - Windows Vista Capable PC Hardware

Still, the requirements just mentioned are required for “good” performance. Nobody is happy just being “good.” People want only the best, right? Here’s what that’s going to take:
• DirectX 9 class graphics hardware that supports WDDM and Pixel Shader 2.0
• A minimum of 32 bits per pixel
• Appropriate graphics memory for specified monitor resolutions
expressed as total pixels (X dimension multiplied by Y dimension)
• Graphics memory bandwidth, as assessed by Windows Vista’s built in
system assessment tool WinSAT.EXE, of at least 1,800MB/s at 1,310,720 pixels on a desktop and at the native resolution on a mobile PC

Microsoft is only intending to use the Windows Vista Capable program to inform its customers that a PC currently running Windows XP could be upgraded to Windows Vista in the future. While most of us don’t need a logo to tell us if a PC can run Vista, this program can come in handy for plenty of other users.

ArsTechnica - Purchasing a new PC? Make sure it’s Windows Vista Capable

There is no reason to wait till Microsoft launches Windows Vista before you deploy PCs in your enterprises. Continue your PC deployments now. The Windows Vista Capable PCs allow you to the transition from Windows XP PCs to Windows Vista in your enterprises.

Microsoft - Windows Vista Capable PC Hardware Guidelines