Need info on current video card & what needed for Aero features

[Guest]

Hi, I am lost- I have an HP desktop Media Ctr. XP Home/2005 version. My
integrated graphic processor is an ATI Radeon X300 SE w/ TV-out.

Specs on vid. card are: 128 MB DDR. PC specs are: 2 GB DDR dual channels,
533 Mhz DRAM, CPU is Intel (R) D 830 3.0 GHZ.

I need to know if my Radeon card will support the following required items
to utilize Visat Home premium "Aero" features and if not what card do I need?
I'm on a budget and want good results based on my needs. 1) A DirectX
9-class processor that supports & "WDDM" compatible for Aero. 2) Pixel
shader 2.0. 3) 32 bits per pixel. 4)Adequate gaphic memory.- 64, 128, or
256MB???

My NEEDS: I do NOT play ANY games or do graphic work or photo editing.
However, I use the Media center daily to record movies, etc. Otherwise I
just web surf, burn DVDs, and use Word to file docs. I already bought the
Vista Home Premium disc at an excellent price- ($69.95) and cannot/do not
want to return it.

I'm sorry, but I have NO clue what a "WDDM" driver is, or a Pixel shader, or
a DirectX 9-class graphic processor as I don't use them. I did go to
Nividia"s site, but couldn't get the info I neede about my existing card or
specifics on the above mentioned items I know nothing about.

ALL help & feedback will be GREATLY appreciated. I don't want to do the
upgrade and find out the important features I use won't work or the install
fails.

My email address is (e-mail address removed) if interested.

Thank you very much for your help!

 

[Cal Bear '66]

Why would you go to nVidia site for information on an ATI card? Go to AMD/ATI's
site.

 

[Dave]

You might try going to the ATI page, and running their readiness tool.....
http://ati.amd.com/technology/windowsvista/GetReady.html

 

[Guest]

On the build sheet it says: 128MB DDR ATI Radeon X300 SE w/ Tv out. I must
have it wrong- Sorry, but I don't know anything about this area. Is it
www.ATI.com? Thanks.

 

[Guest]

Thanks. I still have no clue as to what a "WDDM' driver or a DirectX 9
processor or a Pixel shader are? Will I use them as I've already stated what
I want & use on my PC?

 

[Cal Bear '66]

http://ati.amd.com/index.html

 

[Cal Bear '66]

You might try going to the ATI page, and running their readiness tool.....
http://ati.amd.com/technology/windowsvista/GetReady.html

 

[Guest]

OK< I went to ATI, ran the advisor. Problem: The PC I'm going to upgrade is
being repaired & gone 'till Friday. I ran advisor on other unit for the heck
of it. It mentioned a 9600 series card or better. Do you know what a "WDDM"
driver is?? I need to know and how to find out if you don't know. I want
Vista Eero functions to work. Thanks.

 

[Dave]

Have you tried the Vista upgrade advisor?
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx

or the hardware assessment?
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/solutionaccelerators/hardwareassessment/wv/default.mspx

or looked at the hardware compatibility list?
http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/Pr...d=303&sv=&f=&pn=ATI Radeon X300 Series&oid=19

 

[Cal Bear '66]

From the ATI web site the X300 SE does have directx 9.0 and pixel shader 2.0
support and does have a Vista certified driver. So it seems it will be able to
run Aero. If this is an motherboard integrated video adapter chip and uses
shared system RAM, it may not be the "best" choice for Aero. With 2GB PC4200
system RAM, which you have, it seems AERO will work fine; however, this is
definitely not the best choice for a serious gamer.

 

[Guest]

1) Yes, I ran the upgrade advisor. No real problems mentioned, just ck. a
couple updates. 2) I am unaware of the h-ware assessment or the h-ware
compatibility list @ M-soft, but will ck. there.

 

[Guest]

Hi, Where exactly on the ATI site will I find the X300 SE info? Iwas there,
but did not see it. Am I to understand that a "WDDM" driver is a Vista
certified driver? Also, is 128 MB in the graphic processor plenty for my
needs? I do NOT play any games. I just want the Aero "glitter & gleam"
effects. Is it worth spending $383.00 for another gig of desktop ram? Will I
see a "bang" for my bucks? I'm not a rich person. Thanks for all your help!
-
Have a 2005 HP Desktop Media Center PC.

 

[Cal Bear '66]

http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx300/specs.html

http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html

Check that your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements for running
Aero:

1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 gigabyte (GB) of random access memory (RAM)

128-megabyte (MB) graphics card

Aero also requires a DirectX 9 class graphics processor that supports a Windows
Display Driver Model Driver, Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware, and 32 bits per
pixel.

For best results, you might also want to follow these graphics processor
recommendations:

64 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor with a resolution that is
less than 1,310,720 pixels (for example, a 17-inch flat panel LCD monitor that
has a 1280 × 1024 resolution)

128 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor with a resolution from
1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels (for example, a 21.1-inch flat panel LCD monitor
that has up to a 1600 × 1200 resolution)

256 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor with a resolution greater
than 2,304,000 pixels (for example, a 30-inch wide-screen flat panel LCD monitor
that has up to a 2560 × 1600 resolution)

 

[Guest]

--
Have a 2005 HP Desktop Media Center PC.

http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx300/specs.html

http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html

Check that your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements for running
Aero:

1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 gigabyte (GB) of random access memory (RAM)

128-megabyte (MB) graphics card

Aero also requires a DirectX 9 class graphics processor that supports a Windows
Display Driver Model Driver, Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware, and 32 bits per
pixel.

For best results, you might also want to follow these graphics processor
recommendations:

64 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor with a resolution that is
less than 1,310,720 pixels (for example, a 17-inch flat panel LCD monitor that
has a 1280 1024 resolution)

128 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor with a resolution from
1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels (for example, a 21.1-inch flat panel LCD monitor
that has up to a 1600 1200 resolution)

256 MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor with a resolution greater
than 2,304,000 pixels (for example, a 30-inch wide-screen flat panel LCD monitor
that has up to a 2560 1600 resolution)

Yes, It does and I have a 19" LCD monitor. I can't tell you any more info as last Friday I attempted to upgrade to Vista Home Premium-an error occurred @ 27% into the install. I called Microsoft who told me to call HP tech support. i3 calls & 3 sets of recovery discs later it was determined that the PC had to be shipped to KY as it was unresponsive to ANY recovery discs. Fortunately, it's under extended warranty & all ids free.

Microsoft has called me daily to help me install Vista step by step. I am
to call them as soon as I get the PC back AND I will make a new set of backup
recovery discs just in case the Vista install fails.

I was going to spring for another gig of ram, but it's very pricey @ $383
with tax. If my PC runs slow I will then buy ram. I wonder if I should
install Vista on a seperate partition so i can go back to XP if a problem
occurs. Thanks for all your help.

 

[Cal Bear '66]

If you dual boot with XP and Vista, XP will wipe out Vista's Restore points
unless you use a third party boot manager that can hide the Vista partition from
XP, or you are using Vista Ultimate and use Bit locker.

$383 for a gig of RAM? Where do you live? I have seen Staples, Circuit City,
Best Buy, Crucial.com, and Buy.com offering a gig of RAM for less than $US90.00,
even less than $US80.00 recently. Just make sure that your RAM matches your
existing RAM in type and speed. Also, if using DDR2 memory, you should buy a
pair of sticks since they must be installed in pairs.

 

[Guest]

--
Have a 2005 HP Desktop Media Center PC.

If you dual boot with XP and Vista, XP will wipe out Vista's Restore points
unless you use a third party boot manager that can hide the Vista partition from
XP, or you are using Vista Ultimate and use Bit locker.

$383 for a gig of RAM? Where do you live? I have seen Staples, Circuit City,
Best Buy, Crucial.com, and Buy.com offering a gig of RAM for less than $US90.00,
even less than $US80.00 recently. Just make sure that your RAM matches your
existing RAM in type and speed. Also, if using DDR2 memory, you should buy a
pair of sticks since they must be installed in pairs.

-NO, The $383 was for 2 sticks of 1 GB DDR2-533 Ram PC2 4200. I sent them back unused today to HP. I'll wait until I get Vista installed to re-order more ram. I found a place in NY called Keenzo Electronics that sell the 1 GB stick I need for $106.97 each plus tax & shipping. The brand is Kingston and they have a lifetime warranty. I'm still not sure if I'll need more ram or not. I also talked to ATI regarding the X300 GRU and they said it should be fine for Vista Home Premium given the way I'll be usuing it. They did mention buying a X1600 video card that only costs $149 @ TigerDirect.com. Either way I'll save money if I buy more ram. Things are coming along better today.
I Bleed Blue and Gold
GO BEARS!