3D performance will yield better overall system performance, even with 2D only apps. Since each window—even those generated by old-fashioned GDI apps—is a 3D surface, multiple open Windows can be a drag if you're running on limited capability integrated graphics hardware. This is true even if you use the "Vista Classic" UI, which resembles the current Windows XP user interface. You simply lose all the shader effects and capabilities like Flip3D.

To reiterate, what you'll ideally like to have for a graphics subsystem should look like this:

• DirectX 9 capable GPU
• 128MB video memory—256MB preferred
• Good graphics memory bandwidth
• Good pixel shader performance Continued...