which vista for this system?

Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell

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hi all i need to upgrade this machine to vista for a family member. can you tell me which one to buy ? they just want the latest os cheaply so it doenst need to be used for work or heavy apps just like browsing etc.

system is a P4 3.7g | 1gb ddr ram | 80gbb hdd | 8mb internet

thanks!
 
You don't say what graphics card. You will need to check if the graphics card is compatible to run aero, even if it meets the minimum specifications. For example, nVidia drivers do not support the FX 5xxx series under Vista. If they do not need Aero or need the Media Centre then I recommend Vista Home Basic.

However it is certainly worth spending just that little bit more for Vista Home Premium - but only if their hardware is capable.
 
I'd avoid Basic, you may aswell just get Windows XP. It'll run slower than XP infact. If they can't use Aero then leave them on XP, or buy them a better gfx card.
 
FirebarUK said:
I'd avoid Basic, you may aswell just get Windows XP. It'll run slower than XP infact. If they can't use Aero then leave them on XP, or buy them a better gfx card.
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another vote for this opinion here, stick with xp for now otherwise you will run into all sorts of problems.
 
Spleenus said:
Isn't home basic limited in the amount of programs you can have running at one time?
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It has no media center and no aero theme, also you don't get extra updates that are for Ultimate, DreamScene ect. But the limited programs..don't think so, but may be wrong.
 
Think of Basic like XP but with a lot more baggage :)

Think of any version with Aero like 2 people. One being the GPU carrying some of the baggage, one being the CPU carrying the rest.

Damn I love my analogy ;)
 
Ice On Fire said:
It has no media center and no aero theme, also you don't get extra updates that are for Ultimate, DreamScene ect. But the limited programs..don't think so, but may be wrong.
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You've mentioned the only real differences. The fancy Flip 3D effect isn't in vista home basic either. Essentially the only differences between Home basic and Home Premium are the translucency and other assorted shiny things.

There's no real need to update to Vista at the moment really, other than it looks nicer.

The firewall is better, but third party firewalls are better still; and if you aren't having any issues with XP why change?
 
I didn't think the Flip 3D was worth mentioning as not many would use it anyway or call it a 'feature'.

That a side, I think the only people who will be upgrading to the new OS is people like me, who love to keep up to date with computer hardware and software. I mean, sure if it didn't work as well or better then XP, I wouldn't have changed. But I have used Vista for two months and love it. Not because it has a gloss shiny feeling to it, but because it is just nicer to use for me, and orginised how I like things done.

It runs quicker then my XP Pro, so I see no reason why not to. :)
 
Ghost in the Shell said:
sorry forgot to say it has an nvidia 7 series or 6 series but a good card all the same

32bit or 64bit?
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I suggest 32bit Home Premium as you might as well pay the little bit extra for a far superior package - I would only suggest Home Basic if they don't want to upgrade their graphics card and their current card was not supported.

Also if you wanted 64 bit then you would have to send off for the 64bit version to be delivered from MS and pay postage and add further delays.

Besides, for who is going to be using it, 32bit is fine.

I also suggest getting OEM as its considerably cheaper and I imagine they will just want a new computer in the future rather than a motherboard upgrade.

Just be careful with OEM, as they won't get system support from MS with OEM, you will have to provide that. :)
 
burnsy2023 said:
No, you're getting confused with Vista Starter Edition.

Burnsy
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what they've limited the ammount of programs you can run at once? lol, it's not DOS anymore
 
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