Vista - Question About Upgrading Computers

I have built at least a dozen high end computers a year or so ago when Rambus
meant High End. People wanted powerful platforms that would last at least 5
years.... In the meantime the systems are still great performers and the only
issue I have is that Intel dropped the support and manufacturing for Rambus
at the same time support and manufacturing stopped at 4x AGP.

Many, like myself, now have 8x AGP cards in a 4x AGP socket. The big guys
built and sold many of these. Now the high end consumers feel betrayed.

Or are they going to lose their graphics performance updating to Vista, with
8x AGP 256mb graphics cards in 4x AGP slots???

Sample config:

Intel D850EMVR Motherboard, P4 3.06 w/HT, and 1.5GB PC1066 Rambus, still
fairing very well with common benchmark tests.

Getting any info from the big guys, like Intel, is fruitless, because the
boards and technology are no longer supported. Try getting an answer from
anyone else.

Then they all wonder why people are hesitant to invest, they know why but
don't seem to care. They just want to sell the new stuff, and point their
fingers at each other, leaving the consumer holding the bag. Consumers don't
like that...

Should I advise everyone to stick with XP Pro?

The computers will Vista fine, without the AERO interface and eye candy.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!



"Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E6E19285-51C6-453F-854F-555D99F5B575@microsoft.com...
>I have built at least a dozen high end computers a year or so ago when
>Rambus
> meant High End. People wanted powerful platforms that would last at least
> 5
> years.... In the meantime the systems are still great performers and the
> only
> issue I have is that Intel dropped the support and manufacturing for
> Rambus
> at the same time support and manufacturing stopped at 4x AGP.
>
> Many, like myself, now have 8x AGP cards in a 4x AGP socket. The big guys
> built and sold many of these. Now the high end consumers feel betrayed.
>
> Or are they going to lose their graphics performance updating to Vista,
> with
> 8x AGP 256mb graphics cards in 4x AGP slots???
>
> Sample config:
>
> Intel D850EMVR Motherboard, P4 3.06 w/HT, and 1.5GB PC1066 Rambus, still
> fairing very well with common benchmark tests.
>
> Getting any info from the big guys, like Intel, is fruitless, because the
> boards and technology are no longer supported. Try getting an answer from
> anyone else.
>
> Then they all wonder why people are hesitant to invest, they know why but
> don't seem to care. They just want to sell the new stuff, and point their
> fingers at each other, leaving the consumer holding the bag. Consumers
> don't
> like that...
>
> Should I advise everyone to stick with XP Pro?
>
>
>
>
>
>

If your customers feel betrayed, which they should, why not put the blame
where it belongs...

You said you build them a year ago, well it was clear three years ago that
Rambus was going nowhere... No one was peddling that BS a year ago except
you apparently..




"Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E6E19285-51C6-453F-854F-555D99F5B575@microsoft.com...
>I have built at least a dozen high end computers a year or so ago when
>Rambus
> meant High End. People wanted powerful platforms that would last at least
> 5
> years.... In the meantime the systems are still great performers and the
> only
> issue I have is that Intel dropped the support and manufacturing for
> Rambus
> at the same time support and manufacturing stopped at 4x AGP.
>
> Many, like myself, now have 8x AGP cards in a 4x AGP socket. The big guys
> built and sold many of these. Now the high end consumers feel betrayed.
>
> Or are they going to lose their graphics performance updating to Vista,
> with
> 8x AGP 256mb graphics cards in 4x AGP slots???
>
> Sample config:
>
> Intel D850EMVR Motherboard, P4 3.06 w/HT, and 1.5GB PC1066 Rambus, still
> fairing very well with common benchmark tests.
>
> Getting any info from the big guys, like Intel, is fruitless, because the
> boards and technology are no longer supported. Try getting an answer from
> anyone else.
>
> Then they all wonder why people are hesitant to invest, they know why but
> don't seem to care. They just want to sell the new stuff, and point their
> fingers at each other, leaving the consumer holding the bag. Consumers
> don't
> like that...
>
> Should I advise everyone to stick with XP Pro?
>
>
>
>
>
>

Then it must have been a few years ago, instead of a year or so, when Rambus
was still the big thing...

How time flies. thanks for pointing that out. It doesn't alter the situation.


"Runner1" wrote:

> If your customers feel betrayed, which they should, why not put the blame
> where it belongs...
>
> You said you build them a year ago, well it was clear three years ago that
> Rambus was going nowhere... No one was peddling that BS a year ago except
> you apparently..
>
>
>
>
> "Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:E6E19285-51C6-453F-854F-555D99F5B575@microsoft.com...
> >I have built at least a dozen high end computers a year or so ago when
> >Rambus
> > meant High End. People wanted powerful platforms that would last at least
> > 5
> > years.... In the meantime the systems are still great performers and the
> > only
> > issue I have is that Intel dropped the support and manufacturing for
> > Rambus
> > at the same time support and manufacturing stopped at 4x AGP.
> >
> > Many, like myself, now have 8x AGP cards in a 4x AGP socket. The big guys
> > built and sold many of these. Now the high end consumers feel betrayed.
> >
> > Or are they going to lose their graphics performance updating to Vista,
> > with
> > 8x AGP 256mb graphics cards in 4x AGP slots???
> >
> > Sample config:
> >
> > Intel D850EMVR Motherboard, P4 3.06 w/HT, and 1.5GB PC1066 Rambus, still
> > fairing very well with common benchmark tests.
> >
> > Getting any info from the big guys, like Intel, is fruitless, because the
> > boards and technology are no longer supported. Try getting an answer from
> > anyone else.
> >
> > Then they all wonder why people are hesitant to invest, they know why but
> > don't seem to care. They just want to sell the new stuff, and point their
> > fingers at each other, leaving the consumer holding the bag. Consumers
> > don't
> > like that...
> >
> > Should I advise everyone to stick with XP Pro?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>

You're kind of in a pickle. The systems can not be upgraded to AGP 8X. The
best RAM in the world (never said that Rambus was) will not allow you to run
Vista with the bells and whistles if the rest of the system is not up to
snuff.

Vista will run fine on their computers without the Aero interface and other
eye candy. Forget DX 10 without an AGP 8X slot.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!



"Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9D65FB98-69A8-4CFD-85C5-7C638475C8FD@microsoft.com...
> Then it must have been a few years ago, instead of a year or so, when
> Rambus
> was still the big thing...
>
> How time flies. thanks for pointing that out. It doesn't alter the
> situation.
>
>
> "Runner1" wrote:
>
>> If your customers feel betrayed, which they should, why not put the blame
>> where it belongs...
>>
>> You said you build them a year ago, well it was clear three years ago
>> that
>> Rambus was going nowhere... No one was peddling that BS a year ago except
>> you apparently..
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> "Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:E6E19285-51C6-453F-854F-555D99F5B575@microsoft.com...
>> >I have built at least a dozen high end computers a year or so ago when
>> >Rambus
>> > meant High End. People wanted powerful platforms that would last at
>> > least
>> > 5
>> > years.... In the meantime the systems are still great performers and
>> > the
>> > only
>> > issue I have is that Intel dropped the support and manufacturing for
>> > Rambus
>> > at the same time support and manufacturing stopped at 4x AGP.
>> >
>> > Many, like myself, now have 8x AGP cards in a 4x AGP socket. The big
>> > guys
>> > built and sold many of these. Now the high end consumers feel betrayed.
>> >
>> > Or are they going to lose their graphics performance updating to Vista,
>> > with
>> > 8x AGP 256mb graphics cards in 4x AGP slots???
>> >
>> > Sample config:
>> >
>> > Intel D850EMVR Motherboard, P4 3.06 w/HT, and 1.5GB PC1066 Rambus,
>> > still
>> > fairing very well with common benchmark tests.
>> >
>> > Getting any info from the big guys, like Intel, is fruitless, because
>> > the
>> > boards and technology are no longer supported. Try getting an answer
>> > from
>> > anyone else.
>> >
>> > Then they all wonder why people are hesitant to invest, they know why
>> > but
>> > don't seem to care. They just want to sell the new stuff, and point
>> > their
>> > fingers at each other, leaving the consumer holding the bag. Consumers
>> > don't
>> > like that...
>> >
>> > Should I advise everyone to stick with XP Pro?
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>

A cheap AGP card that will work in a 4x slot and these computers will run
Vista fine. An ATI 9550 with 256 MB of RAM is less than $100.00. These
computers are at least three years old, if not older. They are certainly not
comparable to a new high end computer but given their age they are not bad.
There is no age proof guarantee with computers. Current bleeding edge is old
in six months and you may not be able to buy replacement parts in two
years. That is the nature of the business. In hindsight you have learned a
valuable lesson. Do not go with new technology until it is supported by more
than one manufacturer. The signs were there from the start that Rambus was a
dead end because no one but Intel was supporting it. AGP on the other hand
had broad support and you can still buy cards that work with your old
systems.

--
Kerry Brown
Microsoft MVP - Shell/User
http://www.vistahelp.ca


"Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E6E19285-51C6-453F-854F-555D99F5B575@microsoft.com...
>I have built at least a dozen high end computers a year or so ago when
>Rambus
> meant High End. People wanted powerful platforms that would last at least
> 5
> years.... In the meantime the systems are still great performers and the
> only
> issue I have is that Intel dropped the support and manufacturing for
> Rambus
> at the same time support and manufacturing stopped at 4x AGP.
>
> Many, like myself, now have 8x AGP cards in a 4x AGP socket. The big guys
> built and sold many of these. Now the high end consumers feel betrayed.
>
> Or are they going to lose their graphics performance updating to Vista,
> with
> 8x AGP 256mb graphics cards in 4x AGP slots???
>
> Sample config:
>
> Intel D850EMVR Motherboard, P4 3.06 w/HT, and 1.5GB PC1066 Rambus, still
> fairing very well with common benchmark tests.
>
> Getting any info from the big guys, like Intel, is fruitless, because the
> boards and technology are no longer supported. Try getting an answer from
> anyone else.
>
> Then they all wonder why people are hesitant to invest, they know why but
> don't seem to care. They just want to sell the new stuff, and point their
> fingers at each other, leaving the consumer holding the bag. Consumers
> don't
> like that...
>
> Should I advise everyone to stick with XP Pro?
>
>
>
>
>
>

They will run Vista fine. Most 8x AGP cards will fall back to 4X AGP. Unless
you are doing some major gaming, they should be fine.

One thing to look out for is driver compatibility. If Intel dropped support
for the hardware, you might run the Vista Advisor tool to see if everything
checks out ok.

--
Dustin Harper
dharper@vistarip.com
http://www.vistarip.com

--
"Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:E6E19285-51C6-453F-854F-555D99F5B575@microsoft.com...
>I have built at least a dozen high end computers a year or so ago when
>Rambus
> meant High End. People wanted powerful platforms that would last at least
> 5
> years.... In the meantime the systems are still great performers and the
> only
> issue I have is that Intel dropped the support and manufacturing for
> Rambus
> at the same time support and manufacturing stopped at 4x AGP.
>
> Many, like myself, now have 8x AGP cards in a 4x AGP socket. The big guys
> built and sold many of these. Now the high end consumers feel betrayed.
>
> Or are they going to lose their graphics performance updating to Vista,
> with
> 8x AGP 256mb graphics cards in 4x AGP slots???
>
> Sample config:
>
> Intel D850EMVR Motherboard, P4 3.06 w/HT, and 1.5GB PC1066 Rambus, still
> fairing very well with common benchmark tests.
>
> Getting any info from the big guys, like Intel, is fruitless, because the
> boards and technology are no longer supported. Try getting an answer from
> anyone else.
>
> Then they all wonder why people are hesitant to invest, they know why but
> don't seem to care. They just want to sell the new stuff, and point their
> fingers at each other, leaving the consumer holding the bag. Consumers
> don't
> like that...
>
> Should I advise everyone to stick with XP Pro?
>
>
>
>
>
>

I do have Vista Ultimate RTM running on the configuration that I have
mentioned.
While I only have a graphics rating of 1.0, I do have AERO and FLIP
features, run WMP11 without a flicker, and all of the other stuff.

The problem is how do I know that there isn't more to Vista that I can not
see or run, because it wasn't loaded up due to my system's performance???

The other problem is that I could not test the functionality of the
mulitmedia graphics card, because the tuner portion still lacks the driver.
ATI All In Wonder X800XT AGP 256mb. ATI states that they currently do not
have a driver, but won't answer my Yes or No question whether there will be
one.

I would like to see how the media center performs.

I got my hands on a supported HDTV PCI card today, an ATI TV Wonder 650
which is currently supported according to their driver section. I do hope
that ATI and MS come up with a solution to make the AIW cards functional. MS
won't allow software encoding in Vista. Tuners now have to use hardware
encoding. I heard a rumor that ATI uses SW encoding on the tuner portion of
the AIW cards.

Once I have two or three windows open, a couple of internet sessions, the tv
tuner running and can still load and play a video game, all at the same time,
for testing purposes, then I'll know how well Vista can handle the tasks. I
believe that I have an older version of Autocad 2000 somewhere in the closet,
want to try that too, just to see if it works.

Until then it has been one big waiting game.


"Richard Urban" wrote:

> You're kind of in a pickle. The systems can not be upgraded to AGP 8X. The
> best RAM in the world (never said that Rambus was) will not allow you to run
> Vista with the bells and whistles if the rest of the system is not up to
> snuff.
>
> Vista will run fine on their computers without the Aero interface and other
> eye candy. Forget DX 10 without an AGP 8X slot.
>
> --
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Richard Urban
> Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
> (For email, remove the obvious from my address)
>
> Quote from George Ankner:
> If you knew as much as you think you know,
> You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
>
>
>
> "Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:9D65FB98-69A8-4CFD-85C5-7C638475C8FD@microsoft.com...
> > Then it must have been a few years ago, instead of a year or so, when
> > Rambus
> > was still the big thing...
> >
> > How time flies. thanks for pointing that out. It doesn't alter the
> > situation.
> >
> >
> > "Runner1" wrote:
> >
> >> If your customers feel betrayed, which they should, why not put the blame
> >> where it belongs...
> >>
> >> You said you build them a year ago, well it was clear three years ago
> >> that
> >> Rambus was going nowhere... No one was peddling that BS a year ago except
> >> you apparently..
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> "Steve" <Steve@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> >> news:E6E19285-51C6-453F-854F-555D99F5B575@microsoft.com...
> >> >I have built at least a dozen high end computers a year or so ago when
> >> >Rambus
> >> > meant High End. People wanted powerful platforms that would last at
> >> > least
> >> > 5
> >> > years.... In the meantime the systems are still great performers and
> >> > the
> >> > only
> >> > issue I have is that Intel dropped the support and manufacturing for
> >> > Rambus
> >> > at the same time support and manufacturing stopped at 4x AGP.
> >> >
> >> > Many, like myself, now have 8x AGP cards in a 4x AGP socket. The big
> >> > guys
> >> > built and sold many of these. Now the high end consumers feel betrayed.
> >> >
> >> > Or are they going to lose their graphics performance updating to Vista,
> >> > with
> >> > 8x AGP 256mb graphics cards in 4x AGP slots???
> >> >
> >> > Sample config:
> >> >
> >> > Intel D850EMVR Motherboard, P4 3.06 w/HT, and 1.5GB PC1066 Rambus,
> >> > still
> >> > fairing very well with common benchmark tests.
> >> >
> >> > Getting any info from the big guys, like Intel, is fruitless, because
> >> > the
> >> > boards and technology are no longer supported. Try getting an answer
> >> > from
> >> > anyone else.
> >> >
> >> > Then they all wonder why people are hesitant to invest, they know why
> >> > but
> >> > don't seem to care. They just want to sell the new stuff, and point
> >> > their
> >> > fingers at each other, leaving the consumer holding the bag. Consumers
> >> > don't
> >> > like that...
> >> >
> >> > Should I advise everyone to stick with XP Pro?
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
>
>