Dell D620/Intel 945 Express & Aero

[Bren]

I'm currently running Vista Home Basic on a Dell Latitude D620 with Intel
945 Mobile Express graphics with a single 1GB of memory.

I'm looking to use Anytime Upgrade to move up to Home Premium, figuring that
the extra functions (DVD playback etc) is of better value than procuring
software for the various functions seperately.

Looking on Intel's website, they state that the Mobile 945 Express graphics
chipset will run the Aero/glass interface. However both Dell's and
Microsoft's upgrade advisors both say that the graphics system will not run
Aero. Home Basic's Performance Information and Tools say that graphics
(desktop performance for Aero) rates 2.3

Looking into the matter further still, I've found users in various forums
saying that the D620/945 laptop will run Aero and other users saying that it
won't. There is also the matter of Microsoft having 'native' drivers
included in Vista Home Basic for 945 and Intel also having Vista compliant
ones. Neither of them state if the drivers are WDDM (?) compliant.

Does anyone here have this model of laptop and if so, have you been able to
get Aero to run from your Home Premium or above installation of Vista?

Thanks,

Bren

 

[Dustin Harper]

It may be that your shared memory in the BIOS is set to under 128MB. If
you up that to 128MB and rerun the Upgrade Advisor, does it say you can
run it?

Aero will work with the i945, as long as it has the 128MB of video RAM,
which is required.

 

[JW]

That is what I had to do with my Intel 945 was up it to 128 in the Bios,
However, I also had to increase the main memory to over 512MB to get Aero to
work since 128MB of main memory was available to the 945 graphics chip. The
Intel Vista drivers for the 945 chip set were in the RC2 release
installation.

 

[JW]

I have exactly the same memory allocation as you show below and I also have
1 GB of main memory and Aero runs just fine
The minimum for Aero in the RTM release is 128MB and you are showing 224MB
just like mine is.
What happens when you try to turn on Aero?

 

[Warren]

I've got 1GB of system memory (1x 1GB chip), with the adapter showing memory
allocated as follows:

Chip type: Intel GMA 950
Total available graphics memory: 224MB
Dedicated video memory: 0MB
System video memory: 32MB
Shared system memory: 192MB

There seems to be no method of manually allocating video memory from system,
either in BIOS of Dell's Quickset utility. Instead Dell's website suggests
that the amount of shared memory the computer allocates depends on how much
physical memory is in the machine: <=512MB you get 128MB shared, >512 256MB
shared.

Could the 'fixed' 32MB of System Video Memory be the culprit, given that
Aero requires 64MB min to do its thing?

Yes, I think that could be the culprit. Like you say, in addition to
the 1GB minimum of main memory, Aero Glass requires a minimum of 64MB
of video memory. If that value can't be changed in the BIOS you may be
out of luck.

 

[Bren]

Problem sorted!

The answer is having a matched pair of memory for the dual channel memory
function to work.

ie 1x 1GB stick = no aero
2x 1GB or 2x 512MB = aero

As long as a matched pair of memory sticks are installed totaling at least
1GB, then the 945GM Intel chipset WILL run the Aero interface.

Thanks for everyones thoughts!

Bren