A machine capable of running Windows Vista properly will require at least 256 Mbyte of GDDR, as well as high-capacity SATA hard drives and a generous amount of system RAM, Dell have confirmed. The company has unveiled a new XPS computer line that they describe as "Vista Ready."

Mr. Dell told reporters that any computer that should be so described, requires at least 256 Mbyte of GDDR, as well as high-capacity SATA hard drives, "more" system RAM for "wider pathways" and a high-resolution display. Microsoft has yet to publicly announce its minimum specifications for systems to qualify for a Vista logo, though it's widely believed that Microsoft has released preliminary specifications to supporting companies, including Dell.
This Windows Vista had better be pretty damn exciting if we are all expected to rush out and buy new desktops and laptops that are loaded with expensive goodies. Apparently, the brand new P4 system I bought last year will not cut it, and we are looking at something pretty meaty. Anyway, if Vista is what you want to be ready for then you could probably do a lot worse than this new XPS line from Dell, deals of which were fairly stunning.

Featured in today's rollout were the new XPS desktop 400 and 200, which will join the previously introduced 600. All three versions contain graphics cards with 256 MByte of GDDR memory standard, with models 400 and 600 including nVidia's top-of-the-line 7800 GTX cards, as promised by an nVidia press release last August. They will also be available with optional Intel single-core or Pentium D 8xx dual-core processors, and hard drive storage available in increments of 500 Gbyte, with the XPS 600 boasting a maximum storage capacity of 1.5 TByte with three harddrive units installed.