The minimum hardware specifications of Microsoft Windows Vista-based machines, particularly computers running the Home, Ultimate, Business and Premium OS editions are as follows:
- 64-bit (x64) processor or 1 GHz 32-bit (x86)
- 20 GB hard drive with a minimum of 15 GB worth of free data storage space
- 512 MB of physical system memory
- 32 MB of graphic adapter memory and support for DirectX 9 graphics
- DVD-ROM drive
- Sound or audio output
- Internet connectivity
Microsoft Windows Vista also has additional hardware requirements which can speed up the performance of your machine when followed. The additional hardware requirements can prove to be useful or otherwise since system performance may vary from OS configurations and the types of hardware devices installed on each computer. Because of this, you should use the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor in order to determine the additional hardware devices which could bolster the overall performance of your machine. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can also provide you with a means of identifying the various functions which can run on your Microsoft Windows Vista-based machine given the hardware specifications of your computer. You should also keep in mind that only Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Business and Enterprise editions can functionally support dual processors even though all versions of Microsoft Windows Vista can support multi-core CPUs.
