Memory is one of the most important resources that your computer can have. Even if you have the fastest processor on the market, it will not do you much good if you do not have enough memory to run your system. I learned this from experience when I purchased a Pentium 2.0 GHZ CPU and found that my system performance was not any better than when I had my 1.0 GHZ processor. The problem I had found was that the 512 GHZ of system memory I had was just not enough for me to enjoy the benefits of the faster processor.
It was a hard lesson, but after upgrading my memory up to 1.0 GHZ my system took off like a rocket and I was soon enjoying the speedy experience of a computer that not more than five years ago I could only dream of. These are the types of trial and error experiences we go through with PC computers. Sometimes we only consider one particular part of our computer, but we do not always consider that whenever we change one piece of hardware, or even software, it will affect our entire computer system and we must consider whether or not these affects will be beneficial or detrimental.
The same is true when deciding on upgrading your Operating System. The Operating System on your computer is the middle man between you and your PCs hardware, so it is important that you be able to speak the same language and communicate in a fast and efficient manner with the core components of your PC. Now, I have seen enough upgrades through the years to know that every time an OS upgrade is performed, there is degradation in the speed of a computer. I first learned of this when upgrading from Windows for Workgroups 3.11 to Windows 95 and it is even truer today when it comes to Windows Vista.
Ultimately whenever you upgrade your Operating System, you will almost always have to upgrade your hardware as well. In my case, upgrading from Windows 3.11 to Windows 95 it was a mere matter of increasing the amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) in my system. At the time memory was not very cheap so it was a bit of a financial investment on my part. Nevertheless, I really wanted that Windows 95 Operating System and I gladly shelled out the cash for that 16 MB of ram, yes I said 16 MB, as in megabytes. However, my system was soon flying like a 747 after having been on a prop driven plane for the last three years.
Recently and when I say recently, I mean within the last week I have upgraded my laptop from Windows XP to Windows Vista. Now, my laptop is not the greatest thing, however, it is not the worst system on the market. In Windows XP the thing flies and I have no trouble no matter how many programs I have open. My laptop is a 1.5 GHZ with 1.0 GHZ of memory and under XP was enormously fast. However, when I upgraded to Visa this week I have noticed a clear lack of performance in my system. Much of the trouble is with opening programs, and when I type it is so slow that I type faster than the characters appear and I suck at typing. I mean I do not type with one finger, but I am not a very fast typist and to have the letters show up a second after I have typed them is saying a lot and it is really annoying as well.
Unfortunately, my laptop is maxed out on the hardware upgrades as far as processor and memory is concerned, so that mans that there is not much I can do to increase system performance but tweak certain settings in the Operating System itself. This is why it is so important to understand what your hardware can handle when considering an upgrade to Windows Vista. A general rule of thumb might be to not upgrade, but instead purchase a new computer system with the Vista Operating System on it already. This ensures that the computer you have will handle your computing efficiently.
Windows Vista is a good Operating System regardless of others might say, although, there is a slight learning curve associated with it. It is worth the effort though considering the security enhancements and the additional features. I would recommend that if you seriously want to upgrade to Vista, then you should have at least a 2.0 GHZ processor with a minimum of 2.0 GHZ of memory. Some might go so far as to install four gigs of memory but you will not see all of it so it is a sort of overkill and waste of financial resources.
Another important thing to consider is to check with your hardware vendor’s websites to make sure that they do indeed support Vista and that they have drivers available for your particular hardware. There is a simple way to inventory your hardware and find out exactly what you have so you can find the drivers needed for Vista. Click your “Start” button and then click on “Run” in the menu. In the dialog box type in msinfo32 and then you will see your system information popup. This window shows all resources for your computer including the software environments.
In the right column you will see “Components” expand that tree and you will see all of the hardware devices that are on your PC. You can either write down each component or you can print them out, but you can only print out the one that you are currently viewing. On a side note, the most important ones to get are your video, sound, media readers, modem, and network card. It is safe to say that Vista will have most of the drivers that you need already, but better safe than sorry.
I certainly hope this helps you to better understand what is important when considering an upgrade to Windows Vista. The Operating System itself is very nice and has many features and additional security features that may at times seem a bit intrusive, but it is well worth the upgrade. Just understand that if you are upgrading your computer your system performance will decrease simply because your computer was designed with an earlier OS in mind.