Microsoft Vista costs 20% more to build

MARKET RESEARCH firm iSuppli said that the hardware cost of moving to Vista is at least $100 more than for Windows XP.

The firm said that an average desktop PC running Windows XP costs PC OEMs just over $500 for the build components. But for Vista, that figure jumps by around 20 per cent to over $600.

This is the cost of the components and not the actual price of the PC, so people buying a system will "pay significantly more than $600 to buy a Vista ready machine," said iSuppli, because of the PC makers' extra margins.

Memory is the biggest significant factor because iSuppli reckons at least 1GB will be needed for optimal performance.

Then there's the now infamous Aero 3D cost, which is down to individual preferences.

Said Matthew Wilkins, iSuppli senior desktop analyst, businesses generally frown on upgrades. "There are some difficult choices to be made before migrating to Windows Vista," he said. "Buying a new computer with the Vista OS already installed may solve the headache of migration just enough to justify the cost of a new machine."

There's a free whitepaper on Vista requirements at the iSuppli site, here. µ