Is Vista any good?

[grantashley]

I've been readong a lot about the new Windows Vista and I want to know If it is really any good?
What benefit will I get if I buy Vista and Install it on my PC?
Will my PC go faster, internet go faster, better grafics, etc?

Thanks

[NooNoo]

If you have an older machine... short answer no. If you buy a machine with Vista on it, then yes.

Vista is designed for new machines. At the top of the vista forum you will find a sticky and you can check whether vista will run on your machine or not.

[slgrieb]

Depends on what you are running now, not just in terms of your hardware, but also your current operating system. If you are running XP, I just don't see much reason to rush into Vista. If you have an older OS, (W2K, W98) Vista may be a desirable upgrade IF you have the hardware to run it. Personally, I wouldn't run Vista on anything less than a system with a dual-core CPU and at least 1 GB of RAM. For really good performance, make that 2 GB of RAM. For the 64-bit version, start with a minimum of 4 GB RAM. You will also need a fairly current 3D video card with at least 128 MB of RAM for the new Aero interface.

Does it perform better? Sometimes. Vista makes better use of memory and CPU cycles for a most applications, so if you regularly do quite a bit of multitasking, you should notice performance gains. If you are into gaming, don't expect much. I can't think of any current games that run better under Vista, and many perform poorly.

Microsoft has a list of certified Vista compatible software http://support.microsoft.com/kb/933305/en-us

but this list doesn't include a great many programs that do, in fact run fine under Vista but just aren't certified. Microsoft's Vista Upgrade Adviser is fairly reliable, but you can't count on it 100%. For example, it flags my Audigy 2 ZS as having potential problems (Creative does in fact have decent drivers for this card) while failing to report that Quickbooks 2005 doesn't run under Vista.

True, there are some security enhancements in Vista, but most of them have already been hacked. Mostly a wash, really.

I'd say the bottom line is that Vista is really not a desirable upgrade for most existing computers. If you are buying a new machine, you are likely to get Vista. Period. You just have to check the support info for your current software and hardware at the vendor's website to see if a new machine running Vista or an upgrade is practical or too expensive.

If all this seems like too much of a hassle, I agree. Try waiting a year.