I’m being asked this question several times a day: Do I need Windows 7?
More accurately the sentence people use is not in a question form. I don’t watch TV and news so I don’t know what is putting that into people’s head. If you are wondering if you should move on to Windows 7 here is my professional opinion. I have broken it down into scenarios based on what people have been asking me. I hope it helps you out.
Relatively new computer (less than two years old) running Windows Vista
I would not spend money upgrading to Windows 7 from Windows Vista. If you have cash that you want to throw at it you can go ahead, but otherwise stick with what you got. Windows 7 uses the same kernel as Vista and Vista with Service Pack 2 is actually not that bad. Use that money to upgrade your RAM or something if you need it.
Old system running XP
Forget it; just buy Windows 7 with your new computer purchase and save money and headaches.
New system running Windows XP
Use your judgment.
New CPUs (The new Intel Core2 series and AMD Phenom series) and chipsets have new features that Windows XP’s old and outdate kernel cannot utilize. These features are little things that you may or may not benefit from such as Virtualization technology and some power management options in laptops. Chances are you have bought this system with Vista and downgraded to XP. Or maybe for a particular friend there were not drivers yet available for his system when he bought it so he opted out for XP and did not buy Vista in the first place. This really depends on your particular computer system and how you use, and what you are using your system for.
For example if you have a high end laptop that came with Vista Business and you downgraded to XP, you might benefit from having Vista back in there since Vista and Windows 7 do far better in power management that XP. Again I wouldn’t go spend on Windows 7 over Vista if you already own license for Vista for your particular computer.
Keep in mind that you cannot transfer your license from computer to computer. Once you retire your computer you have to go out and buy another Windows 7 license for your new machine. You will have to throw out the license with your computer if you don’t want to run into problems.
As an example my brother is a computer scientist and if he does a lot of programming and testing in virtual machines he will not be running Windows XP on his Virtualization Technology enables computer systems since Windows XP cannot use virtualization at all. But if you have 2 GB of ram in the same machine and you are only doing office applications on it I would suggest you to stay with XP since you will only frustrate yourself and waste time and money by upgrading to something that will not necessarily benefit you. Therefore use your judgment when making a decision. Despite what the advertising might say you may not “need to get Windows 7”!
When do I Definitely Benefit from Upgrading to Windows 7
1. You want lots of RAM; nothing beats Windows Vista 64bit or Windows 7 64bit if you have more than 3.5GB of RAM. Windows XP is 32bit (meaning it has only 2^32 bits of address space wich is 4GB, therfore it cannot address anything beyond 4GB) and the XP 64bit version has many compatibility issues. Windows 7 64bit is awesome for that. I am personally running Windows 7 64bit on my gaming machine where I have 6GB of ram (I wish I could add another 10GB, but I'm fine for now).
2. You are buying a new machine; there is no point of putting up with old Vista and XP. Especially when you will be under utilizing your new computer by installing XP on it.
For everything else I have switched to 32bit and 64bit Linux where I don’t need to spend money for Windows, and I get a fairly modern desktop for a very fair price!
