Compaq Presario SR5605F - Athlon LE-1640 2.7 GHz

These days, $500 to $1,500 will net you a desktop with a dual-core CPU and enough power to run productivity apps, view and edit vacation photos, manage MP3s and videos, and even play many of today's games--the core activities most common to families, students, and the general purpose PC user. At $1,000 and up, you should easily be able to perform those tasks. Spend around $500, and in most cases you'll still be able to run common tasks without delay, although 3D gaming becomes a stretch. You will definitely find a dual-core chip in a $500 desktop (you should insist on a dual-core chip these days, unless your budget keeps you under the $500 mark), but Vista could still give you trouble. Be sure the PC is equipped with at least 1GB of memory, and it's a good bet that you'll be able to smoothly run Vista. Add in a 128MB graphics card, and you'll get the Aero effects with little to no performance loss.

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Graphics are less of a concern for most businesses, unless you run a design shop. At minimum, you'll want a desktop computer with enough power (read: dual-core CPU) for multitasking your daily office chores. The money you save on the graphics you can put toward a larger flat-panel display and a better warranty. Vista complicates matters a little. Microsoft recommends at least 512MB of system memory and a DirectX 9-capable graphics card, and it ups the specs to 1GB of RAM and at least 128MB of independent video memory for Vista Home Premium with Aero. Of course, an iMac will get the job done, too, though at a higher price than your typical business PC.

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In addition to the core functionality of the Vista operating system, Microsoft portioned out extra features into different editions of Vista, aimed at different market segments and at differing price points.

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One GB of memory is the recommended minimum to run Windows 7 and additional memory will make multitasking and graphics run smoother. Business workstations are apt to have a lot more memory to run industrial strength software. Choosing a lower memory configuration may save you money; however, most of the highest-rated desktop computers on CNET have 2GB.

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Ready for Windows 7?

If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:

• -1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• -1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• -16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• -DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Additional requirements to use certain features:

• -Internet access (fees may apply)
• -Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware
• -For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required
• -Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
• -HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7
• -DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive
• -BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2
• -BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive
• -Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on
• -Music and sound require audio output

from windows.microsoft.com

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