Windows 2000 spells memory upgrade boom

Sales of Windows 2000 will have a big impact on memory purchasing and system builders, according to industry analysts.

Sales of Windows 2000 will have a big impact on memory purchasing and system builders, according to industry analysts. Members of the North American System Builders Association have described Windows 2000 as a "memory hog", said Tom Collins, president of the association.

Collins said he expected users of the operating system (OS) will need 128Mb of DRam to get optimum business desktop performance.

Sherry Garber, senior vice-president at Semico Research, said: "It does boot at 64Mb but you need 128Mb to appreciate the performance of it."

Microsoft recommends a minimum of 64Mb of Ram for the business desktop version of Windows 2000 but also advised that "more memory generally improves responsiveness".

System builders believe the technical characteristics of Windows 2000 merit the greater memory requirements, Collins said.

Many systems costing more than $2,000 (£1,250) are already shipping with 128Mb of DRam, so Windows 2000 will not mean a big boost for the memory industry, Garber said. However, the OS's memory requirements may strengthen the upgrade market as customers upgrade from systems equipped with 64Mb of DRam, she said.

"But that depends on how quickly people run out to buy Windows 2000. We really don't see an immediate boost to DRam demand from this," Garber said.

Not surprisingly, memory module vendors are pushing more DRam with Windows 2000, and some are offering special deals to encourage customers to boost system memory when they upgrade to the OS.

Kingston Technology is offering a rebate on memory for customers who buy Windows 2000. "By adding memory, users will better access the new features of Windows 2000," said Shannon O'Bryan, project manager of strategic partnerships at Kingston Technology.

Crucial Technology reduced prices of its memory components just before the launch of the OS. The firm said the price move was intended to make memory upgrades more affordable for Windows 2000 customers.

In addition to memory, system builders also believe Windows 2000 will require faster processors, Collins said.

At the Intel Developer Forum last month, Pat Gelsinger, vice-president of the desktop products group at Intel, said the OS will need an extra 250Mhz of power. An Intel representative later clarified that he was referring to internal tests in Intel's IT department that compared Windows 98-based PCs with PCs using the new OS.

Windows 2000 will operate on any Intel processor but for best performance Intel recommends a Pentium III or Pentium III Xeon chip.

Microsoft recommends a 133Mhz Pentium-compatible CPU, at minimum, for the business desktop. That may get the OS running, but it's "like saying you can get a moped on the motorway", said Tony Massimini, chief of technology at Semico Research.

"I think that most of the machines out there of Pentium II and Pentium III generation should not have any problem with Windows 2000," he said. But people do not need to run out and get more than 800Mhz in processing power for it, he added.