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Member Since: 5/2006Last Seen: 11/27/2009
3 Votes
7 Comments
Why you might want to hold off on purchasing a PC
News Type: Event — Seeded on Mon Dec 18, 2006 9:55 AM EST
Article Source: MSNadvertisement
Buy Now, Pay Later?
Why you might want to hold off on purchasing a PC.
Businesses can get the new Windows Vista platform immediately. But we poor home users have to wait until the end of January before Windows Vista's in view for us—and possibly longer before it's readily available, pre-installed on PCs. So what do you give Junior for Christmas? A brand-new Windows XP machine that you'll promise to upgrade 30 days later, or a coupon that says you owe him a new Windows Vista machine as soon as you can get one?
There are arguments for both sides. To keep the upgrade idea alive, Microsoft put together an "Express Upgrade to Windows Vista" program. The idea is simple: Buy a Windows XP PC with enough hardware for Windows Vista today (through March 2007), and then get a low-cost or free upgrade to Windows Vista from the manufacturer when the home version shows up.
The only conditions are that the PC you buy has to be running Windows XP Media Center 2005, Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Professional x64. You need to be careful here—the operating system you send in determines the operating system you get back. Only XP Media Center, for example, will get you a copy of Windows Vista Home Premium. Windows XP Professional gets you Windows Vista Business—which is a nice operating system, but lacks the media features you might want on your home box. And there is no version of Express Upgrade that will get you a version of Windows Vista Ultimate, my personal favorite.
Another potential downside to Express Upgrade is that you'll need to return your PC to the manufacturer so they can do the installation. Don't expect them to send someone to your house as part of Express Upgrade. Then again, there's no law that says you need to partake of the Express Upgrade program. You can buy a Windows XP machine today from anyone and then hire an outfit like Geek Squad, CompUSA's tech staff or your local high-school nerd to upgrade it for you after you buy Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate separately.
You've got to pay attention here, though. First, make sure your new machine has the right Windows Vista hardware chops. That means loads of disk space, a fast CPU, a big bite of RAM and—most importantly—a speedy video card.
Me? I'd set up my soon-to-be Windows Vista machine as follows:
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 | EasyBCD 1.51 Released: Dual-Boot Vista and Anything! | NeoSmart Technologies | Sun Dec 17 | 0 |
 | Windows Vista not Ready for Primetime | Apollo | Thu Dec 21 | 7 |
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{"commentId":433682,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
just moved to 1GB of RAM from 512... no new pc for me for a while, whew...
i like to buy my operating system with my new pc... personally don't think its worth the money stand-alone... my own opinion... i know many people run "pirated" versions of windows knowingly or unknowlingly, but have you actually seen the prices of microsoft products in the stores??
{"commentId":433682,"threadId":"61898","contentId":"486725","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 1 vote
#1 - Mon Dec 18, 2006 10:38 AM EST{"commentId":433967,"authorDomain":"faruk"}
Why you might want to hold off on purchasing a PC: Mac OS X.
{"commentId":433967,"threadId":"61898","contentId":"486725","authorDomain":"faruk"}
- 5 votes
#2 - Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:18 PM EST{"commentId":434070,"authorDomain":"newsguru"}
i saw a mac for the first time in years... i live in a complete pc world... on and off the clock... and i was quite impressed... now i understand all the hype... well deserved...
{"commentId":434070,"threadId":"61898","contentId":"486725","authorDomain":"newsguru"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":434275,"authorDomain":"tcervo"}
i saw a mac for the first time in years... i live in a complete pc world... on and off the clock... and i was quite impressed... now i understand all the hype... well deserved...
Just wait until you *use* one for a while. You'll even better understand all the hype. I made the switch from Windows back in April, and it's been the best thing I could have done. I'll never go back. I do have XP installed on my Mac, using Parallels, just for testing websites in IE. And that's the best thing about the new Macs: you can run Windows either in a dual-boot environment or in a VM (like Parallels), or both.
{"commentId":434275,"threadId":"61898","contentId":"486725","authorDomain":"tcervo"}
- 3 votes
{"commentId":435195,"authorDomain":"lenwood"}
My next PC will not be a PC. I want a Mac. I've been a loyal PC fan for well over a decade. When I got my iPod a year ago I developed a wandering eye. Generally speaking, I like Windows. I'll admit that it has quirks, but overall I'm satisfied. But I've never met a single person that will admit to getting irritated with their Mac. Windows users apologize for this and explain how to fix that. Mac users either talk about how much they like their computer, or what they DO with their computer. I spend all day every day on my system, and I spent a heck of a lot of money on it. I think I should love my computer that much, too.
{"commentId":435195,"threadId":"61898","contentId":"486725","authorDomain":"lenwood"}
- 5 votes
{"commentId":435122,"authorDomain":"defex"}
Wait until other people get vista and figure out how to fix or bypass all the annoyances and restrictions. there could easily be some nasty surprises there.
{"commentId":435122,"threadId":"61898","contentId":"486725","authorDomain":"defex"}
- 1 vote
#3 - Tue Dec 19, 2006 1:11 AM EST{"commentId":435345,"authorDomain":"cqtech"}
Some people already have Vista, (either legit copies of the RTM code, or still running RC2) and tweaks have been starting to spread since the beta phases. You will likely see more tips going out now since the code was finalized, now that the people giving tips can be sure the underlying feature is not going to change for a while.
What nasty surprises do you think there might be? I have not seen anything different from any prior changeover to a newer version of Windows so far.
I'd agree with the articles conclusion for another reason though, there are advantages to looking at a system builder who offers the Express Upgrade option if you need a new PC right now. If you don't, then it might be worth taking the time to see what other new technologies are coming, and saving your money for some other bargain purchase down the line.
{"commentId":435345,"threadId":"61898","contentId":"486725","authorDomain":"cqtech"}
- 1 vote
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