do I really need a GB for vista or can i use 512mb with a 3.46 processor?

Answer 1

The recommended system requirements for vista as as follows:

Vista Home Basic :
1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
512 MB of system memory
20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics and 32 MB of graphics memory
DVD-ROM drive
Audio Output
Internet access

Vista Home premium/Ultimate/Bussiness :
1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 GB of system memory
40 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with:
WDDM Driver
128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
32 bits per pixel
DVD-ROM drive
Audio Output
Internet access


Thats recommended though, And depends which version of vista you have. So i guess the minimum could be 512mb, but it will be pointless having vista then, as it will be slow and pointless to use.

Answer 2

While the processor speed is nice, memory is much more important when talking about Windows Vista operating system. Windows XP takes 128mgs of system memory just to run the operating system, Windows Vista takes 512mgs. If you system only has 512mgs of system memory, your processor speed isn't what is going to slow down your system, it is all the constant data swaps between any remaining system memory and your swapfile used from your free space on the hard drive. The more system memory you have, the better the performance and smoothness of operations of the various Vista features will be. Vista is very intuitive, without a specific amount of free system resources (memory), it will not allow particular features to even operate.

If you are looking at a new machine, take a slightly smaller processor and add as much memory as the motherboard will support up to 4gigs (32 bit version), or 8 gigs (64 bit version), though usually most people can get by with 2gigs and most if not all features of Vista will be accessible.

Answer 3

Vista works with 512Mb RAM. But the performance will be very low. You will just wish that you had more RAM or dint switch to Vista. Also if the only activity you do with your machine is check mails, create some docs etc you could manage well. Incase you plan to do anything that needs a little RAM, brother you will be bust with the 512 Mb Ram and Vista. All the best.

Answer 4

Vista Home Basic is sluggish on 512mb. Other versions will not even install.

Even for Home Basic I recommend a minimum of 1GB RAM and 2 GB is preferred.

Answer 5

well from experience, i have 3 GB of ram in my computer, and from a meter on my sidebar. about 750mb/3gb is used by vista, because nothing else is running. Ram is very important, and you really should upgrade. Im not quite sure if that processer is over clocked, or not. But i dont think its a dual core. You really need an upgrade. Add more details and ill try to help.

Answer 6

Recommended minimum hardware requirements for Windows Vista
The following list describes the recommended minimum hardware requirements for basic functionality of the different editions of Windows Vista. Actual hardware requirements will vary, depending on system configuration and on the programs and the features that you install. If you install Windows Vista over a network, additional hard disk space may be required.
Windows Vista Home Basic
• 800-megahertz (MHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 800-MHz 64-bit (x64) processor
• 512 megabytes (MB) of system memory
• DirectX 9-class graphics card
• 32 MB of graphics memory
• 20-gigabyte (GB) hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space
• Internal or external DVD drive
• Internet access capability
• Audio output capability

Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate• 1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 1-GHz 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 GB of system memory
• Windows Aero-capable graphics card

Note This includes a DirectX 9-class graphics card that supports the following:• A WDDM driver
• Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
• 32 bits per pixel
• 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
• 40-GB hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space (the 15GB of free space provides room for temporary file storage during the install or upgrade.)
• Internal or external DVD drive
• Internet access capability
• Audio output capability

Note A Windows Aero-capable graphics card is a graphics card that meets the following requirements: • Supports a Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver
• Has a DirectX 9-class graphics processor unit (GPU) that supports Pixel Shader 2.0
• Supports 32 bits per pixel
• Passes the Windows Aero acceptance test in the Windows Driver Kit (WDK)

Answer 7

With a 3.5Ghz Processor You should et along Ok. If Your Not Gaming Or Major Photo Editing. But yes. 1GB is Recommended For Decent Experience.

Sorry !

(good luck)

Answer 8

You really need a 1GB, unless you run Vista Home Basic. Even with that the computer will be sluggish. Having 2GB+ is best.

Answer 9

Normally you would need 1GB, but for better performance you can get 2 GB.