Vista 101+ - 101+ reasons TO use it...

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256 MB on the card...another 256 from system memory....but having said that this go 7600 is not top of the line in video cards....hmmmm, never thought the vram might be causing the lockup...will have to look into that.....still hoping SP1 helps this bug....

[blondewithbrains]

I am investigating purchasing a laptop...I currently am running XP on 2 different desktops in my home and like it...

I know that 98% of the laptops out there run Vista, and I have heard about the ram issue because of Vista being a hog, so I do plan on getting one with a minimum of 2 gigs...now the only other concern I have is the video capability...I have seen HP and Toshiba's out there with both the X1200 and X3100 and wondering if anyone knows what would run better with Vista...I dont do gaming but spend a good amount of time with photo programs and some smaller games...

I am not against running Vista, and I hope that the manufacturers at least know what they put into their machines will run properly with that OS...

I appreciate your opinions on this...

[Bsuds]

I think you will need at least 128meg of dedicated video ram to run it but I would get 256 at least to get the best out of Vista. I have 512 on my desktop and have no problems, when I bought it I upgraded the video card right away.
You can check here for system requirements, but remember these are minimum specs!

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/produc ... ments.mspx

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Check reviews online as well for whatever laptop you are thinking about...I would tend to lean towards Sony, or perhaps Dell....but local shops such as Staples give you 14 days to return it, so you could put it through it's paces in two weeks and have a cushion to change your mind....but definitely get the best graphics card you can....and with intel at least a T7200+.....and I have 2GB ram and am serious about pushing that to 4GB if Vista will recognize enough of it....(the 32 bit version will only recognize from 2.5 to about 3.6ish ram).....

[DANSPEED]

I am investigating purchasing a laptop...I currently am running XP on 2 different desktops in my home and like it...

I know that 98% of the laptops out there run Vista, and I have heard about the ram issue because of Vista being a hog, so I do plan on getting one with a minimum of 2 gigs...now the only other concern I have is the video capability...I have seen HP and Toshiba's out there with both the X1200 and X3100 and wondering if anyone knows what would run better with Vista...I dont do gaming but spend a good amount of time with photo programs and some smaller games...

I am not against running Vista, and I hope that the manufacturers at least know what they put into their machines will run properly with that OS...

I appreciate your opinions on this...

I just bought a new notebook. My first one! I started off shopping around in the $600 price range
but ended up paying $1500. Even at that price I was still shopping in the high-end of the low end.

If you can afford it, look for dedicated video memory. I was never a fan of shared memory. However this will quickly limit your choices if your shopping in the $1000 range.

I heard Vista will run great with 1GB of RAM, even 512MB. It's Aero that's the hog. Reading online
there's actually two types of Vista systems, Windows Vista Home Basic Capable and Windows Vista Capable. The latter will run Aero. So a logo stating "Vista ready" or "Vista compatible" might not run Aero. Personally I can do without Aero but it's your decision if you want to spend the extra $100 for another 1GB just to run all Vista's bells and whistles. If your not sure then look for a
system that can be upgraded to 2GB or even 4GB.

And unless your thinking of using Vista 64-bit or upgrading Vista to x64, I wouldn't be concerned with a 64-bit processor. My notebook came with Vista Home Premium (32-bit) and a Core 2 Duo, the "2" meaning 64-bit. So unless I upgrade to Vista x64 I'm not using the full potential of the CPU
and never maximizing my investment either.

I'm not sure if Windows Experience Index which computes a base score based on a systems hardware and software configuration is a good reference point when choosing a new system
or has been implemented for bragging rights, but you could read up on base scores then when
your shopping around go into System and check the score. This might give you an indication as
to what the system's current potential is.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/produc ... index.mspx



Another reason to use Vista. This is probably in XP somewhere or available as an add-on,
but Vista's taskbar has a live view. I found this handy when I've got many windows open
and I want to quickly see if a download is complete or a video is still playing.

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Many of these Vista features that are touted to be available in XP as add ons are just that...additional to the XP OS....which continue, bit by bit, taking cpu cycles and taking up RAM from any XP system. The point being that as these items are added to XP they slow down the system, making them a detriment to that system....but they are factored into Vista...because that is where they belong. For those with the unused computer resources on XP boxes go for it...but if you try to mimic Vista on an underpowered XP box be aware what it can do....