Why does vista needs at least 2Ghz of RAM? what processor suits vista best?

Question

I'm going to buy a notebook, Fujitsu T4220. I wilil use these for years ahead in the future, so im predicting the specifications and reqiurements i need for the drivers etc before i buy one.
Im currently using XP since vista is not yet compatible with many programs. But i know i will use vista in the future. Please help me. Thank you. Hehehe...

John S, thank you for correcting.
Yes, its 2GB RAM, not hertz. I was in hurry to go out when i was typing this question ^^

Answer 1

You are mixing apples and oranges here.

Vista is a much more complicated OS so it requires more RAM memory, and more Power in the form of processor speed.

For the future use, get a laptop that can handle 2GB+ of RAM memory. One that will take 4GB or more would be ideal.

For the power, get a dual core or better processor, running at an effective speed of 2.5GHz or more.

While you are running Xp, you do not need as much memory or speed as you will when you switch to Vista, but it does not hurt to have it now.

Also consider the size of the hard drive, as Vista is a much larger program, and new programs coming out are much more multimedia oriented and require much larger file sizes when installing.

Answer 2

Short Answer: Vista is a more powerful Operating System so it requires BOTH a faster processor AND more RAM.

Slightly Longer Answer:
Vista loads a lot of "processes" or "required applications" into the computers temporary memory (AKA RAM) Vista needs a MINIMUM or 512MBs of memory to run. It prefers twice that amount or 1024MBs (1GB) so it doesn't need to access the slower Hard drive as often as it would with only 512MBs.
Other applications ALSO require memory so you need to ensure your computer has enough to run both Vista AND other things like iTunes, Internet Explorer, MS Word, Virus Protection, etc. SO..... that is why most experts recommend 4 times the minimum (512MB x 4 = 2048MB or 2GBs)

All these processes also require processor attention so that's why you need a faster processor. Particularly Vista's enhanced visual effects take up processor speed (aka cycles) Similar to RAM, other applications require attention from the processor. In order for your processor to handle the workload that Vista demands, you need at least a 2GHz procesor.

Long Technical Answer:
Your question, as stated is in error. There is no such thing as 2GHz or RAM.
A Hertz (abbreviated Hz) is a technical term to describe 'frequency' or how often something cycles.
1000 Hz = 1KHz (kilahertz)
1000000 Hz = 1MHz (megahertz)
1000000000 Hz = 1GHz (gigahertz or a billion hertz)
Procesors are rated in Hz, meaning how often they 'cycle' or can complete a calculation. The higher the Hz rating the faster they can cycle themselves and complete a calculation.
A 2GHz processor can calculate something faster then a 1.73GHz processor.

RAM on the other hand is PRIMARLY rated by how much data it can store, NOT how fast it cycles. (although how fast it is, is listed, it's not the primarly measurement) The standard measurement is 1 Byte (which is 8 bits) of information. The more bytes it stores the more expensive it is.
Usually RAM is stated as being able to store 1billion bytes or 1GB

SUMMARY
So to run Vista you want a 2GHz processor and 2GBs of RAM. - not 2GHz of RAM

Answer 3

Vista is an operating program. The only reason Vista would require that much Ram is because it will move information at a higher rate of speed and having less Ram will not allow the operating program to operate at its maximum performance. It may actually slow down the complete flow of information. The operating program itself may require more space as it probably has more coding.

The other thing is does it say 2ghz of Ram or just a front bus speed of 2GHZ? My computer is 1.2 GHz and it is 4 years old. I raised the ram to 512 and it works well. I could raise it a bit more to increase processing speed, but I just don't need that yet.

Check out Dell or Tosihba for dual processors.

Answer 4

Because Vista is a memory hog. It is also a money hog. Remember,
"Ask not what Vista can do for you, ask what you can buy for Vista"
Before upgrading to Vista make sure you have a couple grand, about 2 months with nothing else to do, and you have plenty of Xanax..as you will be mighty frustrated when you discover how much of your hardware and software wont work.
Or, get smart and get a good open source operating system such as www.mintlinux.com
Cost = 0

Answer 5

vista needs 2 ghz of ram because it has alot more eye candy then xp does, plus its a newer system, you can probably get away with 1 ghz but 2 is the recommended for everyone. for a processor I would get a duo core, basically just look on hp or dell, the more expensive the processor the faster it runs, the faster your computer runs... oh and vista runs alot of programs with no problems, when people are referring to not being able to run programs on vista they are talking about the 64 bit version compared with the 32 bit program.

Answer 6

I would get a 64-bit CPU (dual core) that can access even more RAM (some systems support 64GB or more--while others are limited to 4GB). Vista's programs are based on the .NET Framework and require a lot more memory.

Answer 7

I would hold off a long while, Vista was a big disappoint for Microsoft. So much that Microsoft is going to be allowing the computer companies to start selling XP back onto their computer, by Jan or Feb you should start seeing XP on new computer.

Answer 8

a core2duo should be ok ...i doubt u will find alot of notebooks available in xp either ..