Windows Vista/XP & RAM Memory +equivalents

[spen666]

 have an insurance claim re a laptop that was stolen.

I have been offered a laptop with the following spec:-

Intel Celeron Processor C550 (2.0GHz, 533 MHz FSB, 1 MB Cache) Genuine Windows (R) Vista Home Basic 1 GB Memory 80 GB Hard Drive

to replace a laptop with the following spec: -

1.8GHz processor (AMD I think), Windows XP, 1GB RAM memory 80GB Hard drive

I say that a laptop with 1GB RAM memory running XP would be faster than laptop with 1GB RAM running Vista - not withstanding the slightly faster chip speed

Am I right- and can anyone point me to anything to support my argument


I have no problem with Vista per se


Thanks

[Jaded]

Get 2GB RAM and possibly a faster processor. And an 80GB HD in this day and age is a laugh.

[spen666]

Get 2GB RAM and possibly a faster processor. And an 80GB HD in this day and age is a laugh.

I'm not worried re the Hard Disc size, but can you help me prove that the memory on proposed laptop is going to mean it runs slower than old one?

[bobajobrob]

And an 80GB HD in this day and age is a laugh.

I've got one on my laptop and it's fine. I haven't collected enough pr0n yet, obviously.

The Celeron CPU is a budget one, so the AMD could actually be faster depending on what it is, despite the clock speed.

Vista does use more RAM than XP, if you hunt around you may be able to find some figures.

[Polar Bear]

I think we had a thread somewhere where people were saying that Microshaft recommend 2gb ram for Vista whereas for XP the recommendation is 512mb.  I would expect a 2gb spec for a Vista machine.  Ram appears to be very cheap at the mo so upgrading shouldn't be too painful if you have to shell out yourself. 

[rafletcher]

The other difficulty is how to measure "slower". For the apps you use and the way you use them it may not be any slower than your old machine. I'd suggest checking how easy it is to upgrade the RAM on the machine being offered - i.e. is it a case of swapping the 1Mb out for a 2Mb, or can you simply add a second 1Mb. If the latter then suck it and see, and if you feel the speed is compromised upgrade yourself.