Low Vista Index, can't run Aero (Small pic)

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mavalpha

[H]F Junkie
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WEI.jpg

Specs:
Intel 945GM Chipset, Integrated Graphics
1280x800 15.4" Widescreen
Core2Duo T5500 1.66GHz
1.5GB DDR2-667 5-5-5 (1GB+512MB)
Hitachi 80GB 5400rpm SATA HD
DVD+/-RW
(Lenovo 3000 N100 Notebook, Vista Home Premium- Clean Install)

The link I posted for the graphics specifically says:
...The Intel® 945G & 945GM Express Chipsets will be the first Intel products to support the Windows Vista Aero user interface using WDDM drivers.
Click to expand...
I downloaded the official drivers from Intel. As I understand it, Aero won't run on anything below a 3.0 WEI.
 
chances are they probably haven't finished the drivers yet (i would email support or just and search around)...

welcome to the world of intel integrated graphics, the bane of the graphics market..
 
Must be drivers, I once handled a laptop with intel onboards that did aero but I can't remember the name of the chip now.
 
It should be working just fine, and it should be rating your score at about 3.0 to 3.2 for that chipset. I recently had a Gateway laptop with practically the exact same specs, the default drivers in Vista for the GMA950 gave it a solid 3.0 score; after updating to newer ones from Intel that came out after the RTM build was finalized, the score improved to 3.2.

Something is causing an issue for you, and I can't specifically say what it is at the moment, but I will say you should be getting at least 3.1 for the Aero and Gaming subscores. As I said, my Gateway laptop was a T5500 1.66 with 2GB of RAM running at 533, so that 1.5GB of 667 you have shouldn't factor into it even though the GMA950 is using a shared memory architecture with system RAM.

Personally, if I saw those numbers, I'd be wiping the laptop and redoing it over again, and installing the latest GMA950 drivers first thing after the install and retesting.

Aero was enabled by default on my Gateway (I bought it before Vista ever came out, around mid-October, and ended up selling it in January so I was using the RTM build from MSDN for all my learning and testing on that machine), and I never had a single problem of any kind using Vista on it. The laptop itself garnered a 3.1 score because of the video, but the other scores were slightly higher than the ones you show in that screenshot.

If you can do it, wipe that sucker and start over again to see what the hell is going on. You should have Aero enabled immediately after installing Vista - if not, if it's not working right then and there after the install, then something is very wrong with your setup.

You should install the following drivers in the order presented after Vista is installed (if you choose to try another clean install, just in case). You might get away with installing them now and see some improvement, but again, I personally would just start over and do it right in one clean sweep:

Intel 945GM Express Chipset Drivers v8.1.1.1010 (dated 11/21/2006)

then...

Intel Storage Matrix SATA Driver v6.2.1.1002 (dated 1/4/2007)

and finally...

Intel GMA950 Graphics Driver v15.2 dated 2/25/2007 (Mine was the 15.1 so this one should offer some improvement)

Hope this helps...

ps
To be honest, that screenshot already looks like you are running Aero. Without Aero working, you wouldn't be having any of those "reflections" on the screenshot as shown across the Titlebar (the diagonal lines) nor the horizontal "glass" stuff on the borders on each side about 2/3 of the way up. I think you are running Aero presently, you just might not know it.

Surefire test: Press the Windows key on the keyboard and then press Tab. If you see Flip3D appear - the windows of open applications go diagonal onscreen and scroll in a direction (adding the Shift key reverses the direction of scroll), then congrats - you're looking at Aero.
 
Re-installed Vista and installed drivers again from scratch. Now getting 2.6 and 3.0 under Graphics and Gaming Graphics, respectively. :( You were right, it is running Aero- just really low scores, consistently.
 
If it's coming up under 3.0 for that card - like I said, I had the exact same hardware more or less, 945GM chipset w/GMA950 with the same processor and slower RAM actually, then it's roughly where it should be. It's a bit low, yes, as most anyone else with that same CPU/RAM/Chipset combo might get 3.0 or close to it. Guess I was just lucky getting 3.1 and 3.2 most of the time after clean installs.

The GMA950 was created almost specifically for Vista and Aero, actually. Intel and Microsoft worked closely together on the specs so as to ensure the GMA950 did everything Aero requires, and it does. It's not a gaming video platform, not by a longshot based on today's modern games. But for older ones, and ones that don't require the high end hardcore power, it'll work just fine. It's primarily a productivity chipset/graphics solution, not enterainment at least from the gamer's perspective. I still play Quake stuff exclusively, and it can play Quake 1, 2, and 3 just damned fine.

It'll playback 720 HD content without breaking a sweat, though. :)
 
Couldn't tell you, the Lenovo BIOS doesn't let me adjust. Windows sees 1526MB. 1024+512=1536, so it's not accounting for 10MB. I don't think that's all, though.
 
The GMA950 will use a maximum of 224MB of system RAM for video as required. Aero does not require 128MB of video/system RAM on such machines, that's just another myth that could stand to be stopped cold in its tracks. Aero can run on DX9 cards with only 32MB of video RAM (I know it's nearly impossible to find a fully DX9-compliant card with that little amount, but there are ways to limit the video RAM being used, in effect giving you a 32MB video card for testing).

The GMA950 will take as much as it requires, and it's really not user controllable up to a point. There is a setting in the Intel software to use Low, Medium, and High amounts, but the documentation never really says how much any of those settings would directly correlate to, that's the problem.
 
I may be way off on this, but I thought I read in a print mag that the video needs 128 MB of memory for full Aero effects, but after reading bbz_Ghost's post, maybe that's not true.
 
My e1405 gets 3.0 for graphics and 3.2 for gaming.

I don't know whats up man, but the hardware should be up for it.
 
HAH... dude... Aero is already on. I don't know what you're expecting, but its definately on in that picture.
 
mavalpha said:
Yeah, already figured that part out. Now just trying to determine why my graphics score is lower than it should be.
Click to expand...

well it doesn't surprise me that its that low since it is intel integrated. besides, those scores don't mean shit anyway, i'd stop worrying about it and go play a game or somethin lol
 
mavalpha said:
Computer tech, I have to know this stuff. :(
Click to expand...
It seems like mission accomplished, then. As others have said, it's not worth any time or effort worrying about your actual score, assuming everything is running properly.
 
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