Vista Ready

 

As Microsoft’s new operating system, Vista, grows closer to shipping we are changing the configuration of our PC’s.  We are now building PC’s which Microsoft terms “Vista Ready”.  This simply means that if you buy a Vista Ready PC you can be assured that PC will have the horsepower to run Vista- whenever it finally ships.  Keep in mind, however, if you want to upgrade to Vista later you will still need to buy Vista.  Microsoft is not giving away free upgrades from XP to Vista.

  As part of this new Vista Ready initiative we have revamped our entire PC lineup.  We have always been an AMD Solution Provider and will continue to be.  This means our PC’s use the AMD processor instead of an Intel processor.  AMD has recently launched a new line of processors and motherboards that make our job of creating Vista Ready PC’s much, much easier.  These processors and motherboards use a new socket configuration called AM2.  This socket replaces the older Socket 754 and Socket 939 motherboards.  The biggest advantage of this new socket is that it allows for a motherboard to support the full range of AMD processors.  For example, you can buy a Socket AM2 PC with an entry-level Sempron processor.  When you later decide that you want more power you can simply buy an Athlon64 Dual-Core AM2 processor and plug it in to the same socket where your old Sempron processor lived!

 This is a great boon to the upgrade market- you will not need to buy a new motherboard to take advantage of the new processor technologies.  A couple other big changes are with the memory type and onboard video.  The AM2 motherboards now use DDR2 RAM instead of the older DDR RAM.  DDR2 RAM is the next-generation DDR memory technology which features faster speeds, higher data bandwidths, lower power consumption, and enhanced thermal performance when compared to traditional DDR RAM.  Simply put, this means PC’s using DDR2 RAM will be faster than PC’s using DDR RAM.  Our basic configuration now has a minimum of 512MB DDR2 RAM while our mainstream configuration (our biggest seller) comes with 1GB of DDR2 RAM. 

The other big change is with the onboard video.  Up until now the video adapter that has been built in to motherboards has been very basic.  If you only intended to run Office applications or browse the Internet this onboard video sufficed.  But, if you wanted to play games or run advanced 3D applications this onboard video simply did not cut it.  The onboard video in our new AM2 machines is based on nVidia’s 6100 PCI Express video card.  nVidia is a recognized leader in 3D video cards.  Their 6100 line of video adapters, while not their fastest, is more than adequate for most current video games and other applications you may want to run.  This means that you can now buy a PC and not have to go out and buy an expensive video card just so your kids can run their favorite games.

Microsoft Vista is a very intensive operating system requiring more RAM and video capabilities than another operating system before it. This new minimum of 512MB DDR2 RAM and 3D capable onboard video is what makes our PC’s Vista Ready. 

 To further speed up our PC’s we are using SATA hard drives in all of our builds.  These hard drives are replacing the older IDE hard drives which have been used for many, many years.  SATA drives are capable of transferring data at a much greater rate than IDE drives- all without any added cost!  This means that your PC will boot faster and your applications will load faster- all because the hard drive is better able to transfer data to the processor.  The minimum hard drive size we currently use is 80GB while our mainstream PC’s come with a 160GB SATA drive.  If you do any amount of video editing, collect MP3’s, or play intense 3D games, you will appreciate this increased storage space.  We can even build PC’s with 500GB or larger hard drives if you so desire.  The options are nearly limitless!

 We hope to be shipping PC’s with Vista installed very early in 2007- but we are at Microsoft’s whim with the specific date.  Until then we will continue to build PC’s which are able to run Vista- so you can upgrade later if you choose. 

 Feel free to stop on by to get your own quote on a Vista Ready PC.  We are a local company with local, dedicated support- you will NOT be calling India if you need warranty or technical assistance with your new PC!

 

About the Author:

Parrish Reinoehl is President of Pathfinder Networks; a Niles based technology consulting firm specializing in providing affordable computer services to small businesses and home users including networks, PC support, sales, and service.  Pathfinder Networks can be reached at 269-684-7696 or via email at parrish@pathfindernetworks.com

Pathfinder Networks website is http://www.PathfinderNetworks.com

Visit our retail location at 1920 S. 11th St., Niles, MI (in Belle Plaza). 

© Pathfinder Networks, LLC

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