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Thread: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

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    Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    I've noticed something that appears to be consistent among laptop manufacturers and resellers. If you want a reasonably powerful laptop with an integrated Intel graphics video card, the laptop almost always comes with Vista Business/Ultimate. This is annoying because not only do Vista Business/Ultimate have no practical features a home user would use for work-related activities, it adds considerably to the cost of the laptop. If someone can name one feature, just one feature that a user would use in Vista Business/Ultimate for work-related stuff that they couldn't do within (or without) Vista Home Premium then I'd like to hear it.

    I've even seen some laptops, Dell Canada, in particular, where Vista Home Premium 32bit is included in the price, but if you configure the laptop for more than 4GB of RAM, they force you to pay more for Vista Home Business 64bit. Like on the cheapest Studio 17 laptop. The only choice of OS is Vista Home Premium 32bit (included in Price) or Vista Ultimate 64bit (an extra $140) If you to try to continue with more than 4GB of RAM with Vista Home Premium you get the following notice...

    The Operating System you have selected supports a maximum of 4 GB Memory. Please change your memory selection to 4 GBs or less or your Operating System to a 64-bit.
    I've come to accept that I'll have to get a laptop with Vista Home Premium, but now I see my choices are even more limited. It appears Vista Business/Ultimate and even XP Professional are being foisted on the marketplace. And the Ubuntu laptop that Dell Canada offers, the XPS M1330, is significantly higher (like hundreds of dollars more) than the equivalent Windows laptops. I'm not going to spend several hundred more just to get Ubuntu on a laptop when I'm going to re-install the OS myself anyway. Even if the Ubuntu laptop was a mere $100 more I would get it, but the XPS 1530 isn't even offered with Ubuntu.

    It looks like we might have to wait another 10 years or so before we get some real choices for laptops in Canada.

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    Re: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    Basic OS stuff.

    If you have 4GB of RAM or more, a 32bit OS can't use it all. It uses about 3.5GB max, thats why they force you to get a 64-bit OS

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    Re: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mehall View Post
    Basic OS stuff.

    If you have 4GB of RAM or more, a 32bit OS can't use it all. It uses about 3.5GB max, thats why they force you to get a 64-bit OS
    I know that. But there exists a Vista Home Premium 64bit version. I think you misread my post.

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    Re: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mehall View Post
    Basic OS stuff.

    If you have 4GB of RAM or more, a 32bit OS can't use it all. It uses about 3.5GB max, thats why they force you to get a 64-bit OS
    Actually-the OPs question was, Why when you need a 64-bit OS do OEMs force you to get the most expensive editions of Windows-that you probably don't need anyway?
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    Re: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    Oh, sorry, didn't think there was a 64-bit Home Premium.

    I guess they assume that if you're using 4GB ram or more, you want the "performace" versions or something.

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    Re: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    Quote Originally Posted by blastus View Post
    I've noticed something that appears to be consistent among laptop manufacturers and resellers. If you want a reasonably powerful laptop with an integrated Intel graphics video card, the laptop almost always comes with Vista Business/Ultimate. This is annoying because not only do Vista Business/Ultimate have no practical features a home user would use for work-related activities, it adds considerably to the cost of the laptop. If someone can name one feature, just one feature that a user would use in Vista Business/Ultimate for work-related stuff that they couldn't do within (or without) Vista Home Premium then I'd like to hear it.

    I've even seen some laptops, Dell Canada, in particular, where Vista Home Premium 32bit is included in the price, but if you configure the laptop for more than 4GB of RAM, they force you to pay more for Vista Home Business 64bit. Like on the cheapest Studio 17 laptop. The only choice of OS is Vista Home Premium 32bit (included in Price) or Vista Ultimate 64bit (an extra $140) If you to try to continue with more than 4GB of RAM with Vista Home Premium you get the following notice...



    I've come to accept that I'll have to get a laptop with Vista Home Premium, but now I see my choices are even more limited. It appears Vista Business/Ultimate and even XP Professional are being foisted on the marketplace. And the Ubuntu laptop that Dell Canada offers, the XPS M1330, is significantly higher (like hundreds of dollars more) than the equivalent Windows laptops. I'm not going to spend several hundred more just to get Ubuntu on a laptop when I'm going to re-install the OS myself anyway. Even if the Ubuntu laptop was a mere $100 more I would get it, but the XPS 1530 isn't even offered with Ubuntu.

    It looks like we might have to wait another 10 years or so before we get some real choices for laptops in Canada.
    They do it to charge you more. And frankly they're not suppose to charge you for Ubuntu anyway so the Labtop should cost less with Ubuntu.
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    Re: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    Quote Originally Posted by MasterNetra View Post
    They do it to charge you more. And frankly they're not suppose to charge you for Ubuntu anyway so the Labtop should cost less with Ubuntu.
    Installation costs.

    And nobody argue that XP / Vista have to be installed too, it's two diff systems.

    And tbh, they can do what they like.

    I'm more worried about what happens when MS merge w/ Dell as is rumoured.

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    Re: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mehall View Post
    Installation costs.


    I'm more worried about what happens when MS merge w/ Dell as is rumoured.
    Wow? That's the first i've heard of that - link? sources?
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    Re: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    If you factor in the fact that the Ubuntu CPU is lower and the hard drive is half the size of the Windows laptop, the Ubuntu laptop costs well over $200 more than the Windows laptop.

    Ubuntu Laptop XPS M1330 ($1349):

    Intel Core 2 Duo T7500
    4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 @ 667 Mhz
    160GB SATA 5400RPM
    128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
    Windows Laptop XPS M1330 ($1270 - $71 discount = $1199)

    Intel Core 2 Duo T8100
    4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 @ 667 Mhz
    320GB SATA 5400RPM
    128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS

  10. #10
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    Re: Why is Vista Business/Ultimate required on low-end graphics laptops?

    This is like asking why many car companies force "packages" on customers instead of letting them chose only the options they like.

    Recently I've been twice shocked by different dealers. I've been told that one can't have cruise control with a manual gearbox, which may be true for said manufacturer but I currently own a manual vehicle with cruise control so it's possible to make them that way.

    The only other option I've ever cared about was heated seats as it gets quite cold where I live, but heated seats are almost always part of a "cold weather package" or "premium package" which add thousands rather than hundreds to the price of the car.

    I think the reason computer manufacturers do the same sort of thing is similarly motivated. On one hand, the average consumer doesn't know enough to realize that they are being taken, and further people have obviously been softened up to being bullied around when purchasing cars so why not assume they'll put up with it on other purchases that are customizable with options.

    I'm sure there are lots of industries that work this way at this point.
    I was the kid who just had to find for himself what happened if he stuck a fork in an outlet.

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