List of Vista compatible Dells

I was browsing the Dell site looking to make sure the laptop I buy is Vista compatible. Here is a list of which Dell computers can be made compatible with Vista. I found it helpful and thought I would share.

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/solutions/en/vista_pcs?c=us&l=en&s=gen

 

Yes, this has been up for a while now

 

Thanks for the useful info. But here is the requirement for Windows Aero Experience, and I'm confused:

Inspiron 1405 Yes with 1GB of Dual Channel Memory (Two 512MB Memory Module DIMMS)

Inspiron E1505 Yes with 1GB of Dual Channel Memory (Two 512MB Memory Module DIMMS) and a premium graphics card

I thought both E1405 and E1505 have the same intergrated video, so why can E1405's intergrated video run Windows Aero while E1505's onboard video can't?

 

Good catch. I'd like to know that also. Maybe Dell just wants those thinking about purchasing the E1505 to upgrade the video card.

 

maybe something about the larger display

im not sure

 

I'm currently using Vista Beta 2 on my M1710, which came with a sticker on it that said "Windows Vista Capable".

A new feature in Vista is a system app called "Performance Rating and Tools" which rates the individual hardware subsystems and gives your computer a performance rating of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).

Supposedly, software will start displaying compatibility based on your performance number.

I have to say that I almost cannot contain myself about my 1.0 rating!

Here's how Vista see's my $3600 computer:

Processor (T2400 @ 1.83Ghz) = 4.8
Memory (RAM) 2.0GB = 4.1
Primary Hard Disk (80GB 7200RPM) = 3.6
Graphics (NVIDIA GeForce 7900GTX) = 2.0
Gaming Graphics (512MB Graphics Memory) = 1.0

Total Rating = 1.0

How do they get 1.0 out of a 4.8, 4.1, 3.6 and a 2.0? Obviously, Gaming Graphics has a 99% weight on their scores (and even still, how much memory does my graphics card have to have to get a 5.0?)

Obviously, some tweaking needs to be done on their performance rating code!

Anyone know how much I have to spend to get a notebook that overall rates of 4 or 5?

 

The "Vista Compatible" sticker means basically nothing, because all that means is that the PC can run the Basic version of vista - no Aero Glass in that.

You should have 1GB of RAM or more to run Vista, and at least a 40-60GB HDD. As for the video card, which seems to be the source of the confusion - GMA950 minimum; anything dedicated such as the ATI X1300/X1400 would be better because you'll have a smoother experience and they won't take up your system RAM like the GMA950.

 

The rating is basically nothing more than taking the lowest category and using that as your final score. Your gaming graphics got a 1, so your final score is a 1. They're not finished with the rating tool, so your score may very well go up in the final release. I wouldn't worry too much about this number, it doesn't seem to mean much at this time.

 

Based on the fact that everything in my notebook is top-of-the-line, I was being partially sarcastic in that it gave my system a score of 1. Not to mention, a 512MB memory video card should NOT get a score of 1 (a GMA950, on the other hand, should!).

I was not really being too serious here...obviously, something is broken in their ratings code!

 

Our XPS's can run Aero witout a problem...

 

I got the 640M w/ 1x 1GB of ram. Apart from the extra bandwith associated with dual channel, why does it need to run in that for Aero?

 

Okay, here's the deal with the two different computers. According to Microsoft, you need 128 MB dedicated graphics to run Aero, but that's not entirely true. If you do more research, you'll find that in fact you only need 64MB for resoultions below 1024x768. For 1024x768 or 1280x1024 (which is what most people run) you need 128MB, which means that the GMA 950 is fine. But for resolutions above 1280x1024, you need 256MB of dedicated graphics memory. So for instance, my laptop, which runs at 1400 resolution, I would probably need 256MB of dedicated graphics memory. Guess my Mobility Radeon 7500 isn't going to cut it.

 

where did you read that? that seems a little steep to me, if thats right the x1300 and the 7400 wont run it at native resolution either, and my screen is 1680X1050

 

That seems pretty insane. My lappy can run source but not aero glass? Looks like no vista for me...

 

My E1505 comes with the 256MB X1400 video card, is that better or worse than the NVIDIA GeForce 7900GTX?

 

the 7900GTX is only 5 times as powerful as that card

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=39568

 

so if 7900GTX was only rated 1 by Vista, I can see my X1400 won't even qualify

 

Well all the Dell's that use GMA950 go up to 224MB ram

 

no, that rating has a error in it

See, the 7900GTX is the best notebook graphic card available at the moment, and is top of the line. Shoudnt be replaced for another 1/2 year - year