Report: Half of PCs Not Vista-Ready

While nearly every current PC will be able to run Windows Vista, only half will be able to take full advantage of all of it's features, a recent study by research firm Gartner suggests. In turn, the firm is urging IT managers to take caution when ordering new PCs.

Today's average processor and hard drive should be sufficient to install and use Vista, Gartner says. However, a newer graphics card is likely required if the user wishes to take advantage of the Aero user interface, and the computer should have at least 1GB of memory installed for the operating system to run smoothly.

While some may be shocked at Gartner's lofty hardware requirements for Vista, Microsoft's own recommendations is not far off. The Redmond company has similar guidelines, although says 512MB of RAM should suffice.

Nonetheless, Microsoft has not yet rolled out its "Windows Vista Capable" program, or provided any solid hardware recommendations. Gartner has stepped up in the company's absence to provide some information to businesses. It said vigilance is necessary in order to avoid future migration costs.

Gartner is recommending this even if IT managers are not immediately ready to upgrade. The company said many PCs would be in service well after the eventual ship date, and it's likely they would be upgraded to Windows Vista some time within their expected lifespan.

At a minimum, these computers should use the Intel 945G chipset, a Pentium 4 processor and 1GB of RAM, with up to 2GB of memory needed if the user is looking for added performance. Similarly, notebook buyers should look for a Core Duo processor based on the 945GM chipset with 1GB of RAM.

The firm said it would not provide guidance for AMD yet as enterprise adoption of the company's chips have been rather slow. Also, Gartner told businesses to focus on the above requirements rather than the graphics side, as most would not see a benefit from the Aero UI.