Windows 7; buy a new computer, or upgrade the old one?
Microsoft have an upgrade advisor program (link) that can tell you if your existing computer meets the requirements for Windows 7 and what sort of issues you might have with drivers and so on. It gives the impression of competence, so now I find I have complicated my decision from "which new computer do I buy" to "can I manage with the existing computer, or should I buy a new one". Damn you Microsoft!
On the subject of new computers, I had a look at Apple's new iMac yesterday at their Southampton store. It is as beautiful in the flesh as it looks in the promotional shots and I am sorely tempted; the mouse and keyboard alone make it worth considering. There are just a couple of things putting me off:
- Price - at £950 it is rather more expensive than the alternative, which at the moment looks like a mid-range Dell at about £530.
- Software - I need to be able to run Windows software. Yes, I know about Bootcamp and other technical wizardry, but I like a simple life where I just turn the machine on and it does what I want.
- Power - the iMac has slower processors, less memory and less storage than the Dell. It might be just as snappy running Snow Leopard as the Dell running Windows 7, but who knows?
No decisions yet, but I'll probably go for the Dell and Windows 7.
1 comment
Oct 25, 2009
said...
I can't imagine why anyone would buy products from Apple. They're overpriced and under specced. Even if Apple's OS is less resource hungry than Windows (which it surely must be?) why would I want a worse computer for more money? There's only one reason to stick with Windoze though and that's computer games. Which is why neither Macs or Linux are viable yet. Given the desk space and money I'd have a Linux machine for serious stuff and a Windows one purely for gaming...
