1GB enough for Vista or XP?

I was at an apple store today and one person told me that 1GB was NOT enough to run Windows Vista or Windows XP. He said it would just "choke" the computer, that it'd run really slow, like molasses, hahaha. I'm not computer savy but I was wondering if he was right or was he just trying to make me pay more money for a 2GB? Do I really need 2GB's to run Vista or XP? I won't be doing any gaming, just your typical school stuff, MS office, email, watching youtube, hahahaha, and just internet surfing. Thanks in advance.

P.S I was referring to Macbooks.

 

Well it depends how you will be running it, in Boot Camp or Parallels? If you are talking about using Boot Camp, XP will be fine with 1GB, but Vista would be happier with 2. If, however, you mean Parallels or VMware Fusion, then you will want at least 2GB, one gig per OS.

 

Windows XP will run fine with 1 GB. If you turn Aero on Windows Vista, then you should get 2 GB to run smoothly.

I hope you mean you're running under Boot Camp. Because if you plan to run Windows in Parallels then get 2 GB.

 

Perfection.

I'd also add that 2GB is much better for Vista in all cases, as noted.

 

1GB in XP = fine.
1GB in Vista = acceptable, though not the best.

Vista is completely different with 2GB of physical memory.

 

I would go as far as to say you can run a usable install of XP on 256 MB. With 1 GB plus, XP can fly. Doesn't Microsoft list the minimum requirement of XP at something like 96 MB? Today's lesson: don't take advice about Windows from a guy at the Apple Store.

 

That's absolutely true. Unless you're multitasking quite a bit, 256mb-512mb for XP is perfectly suitable.

 

Let me ask another quick question...

I'm trying to decide which laptop to get for grad school and I've narrowed it down to HP, Macbook and Sony. I was leaning towards Sony Vaio's but the more people I talk to the more they say that it breaks down a lot and they charge a lot just b/c of it's name. My question is, if you HAD to choose which type of laptop to get, which would it be, HP or Apple. Obviously this is the Apple thread/forum so I guess everyone would say Apple. The price of macbooks is a little out of my budget but I've heard that they rarely break down, is this true? Thanks again.

 

Well, let me ask you this first: are you going to run Windows most or all of the time? If so, I'd say don't get a Mac. You'll just be paying for Mac OS X and iLife which you won't be using.

Its true that Sony is expensive compared to other PC manufacturers. Yes, their brand is costly .

If I was going to run Windows full time, I'd get an HP. If I was going to run Windows for school/work, and Mac OS X for my own computing uses, get a MacBook.

 

Just get a Thinkpad and call it a day.

Seriously though, Thinkpads are generally my favorite Window-based laptops. I've always found them to be very durable and reliable.

 

Personally I would go MacBook, but like you said, I am a Mac user. If your budget allows and you want to use OS X get the MB. Otherwise get the hp.

 

Keep in mind the Macbook has a 13" screen. If you're used to 15.4" screens - the standard among widescreen PCs - it can take some adjusting to. If you can afford it, I'd swing for the MBP.

And about the OS use, fully agreed. Most people end up using one OS 90%+ of the time, whether they double boot or use virtualization. If you don't think you'd spend at least 5 of every 7 days on OSX, save yourself some money and get a PC instead of a Mac.