Questions from a laptop and Vista beginner

Hi all,

I am looking into buying this laptop http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?&ref=cj&pfp=cj&product_code=344235&cm_ite=CompUSA+Logo&cm_cat=1066642.

This would be my first laptop so I have to do quite a bit of research to figure everything out.

How capable is a Windows Vista Premium ready computer like this to run Vista?

I am not planning to play super fancy games or do heavy duty design stuff, so my grafical requirements are not that high. I do want to be able to use Aero and run other programs without slowing it down.

I could stretch my budget and go for a slightly fancier setup ( Or browse eBay and take a risk with a refurbished model).

Should I look for a laptop with 2GB RAM and a real video card to use Vista properly or will something like this do for the next two, thee years?

Thanks in advance!

 

I think you'll be fine. You can always add memory later if performance is sluggish. I had Vista Business on my R60. It seemed to work well.

 

I bought the decked out HP Pavilion dv9000 and put vista office ultimate on it and I also got a Dell wireless broadband card and I am very spoiled from my old job we had the best of technology there and when I worked on other people's PC's I was deeply dissapointed but not with this 17" notebook I absolutely love it.

 

For the money, that looks like a nice spec'd system. If you can afford to spend more up front, additional RAM and possibly a slightly fast processor is very beneficial to Vista. But it does meet my definition of an acceptable Vista system -- decent speed dual-core processor, 1 GB RAM, aero capable graphics card. Personally, I think that's likely a tough deal to beat if you're looking for a system with a 17" screen.

A true graphics chip is always nice if you want to do some gaming or video editing work, but for everyday use the Intel GMA50 is fine, and runs aero.

2 GB RAM is kind of a magic number for Vista for power users, but with 1 GB, you'll be fine for most purposes. Vista also includes a nice ReadyBoost feature that lets you use a cheap USB drive or SD card as a kind of disk cache that can speed up opening applications and what-knot for very little money (certainly cheaper than bumping up to 2 GB RAM if you don't need it).

Overall, if it's the size you're looking for at the price you want to pay, nothing in the specs should keep you from getting a good Vista experience.

 

It'll run fine for your needs.

 

Thanks for the answers so far!

I think I will go for this Acer. I would like some higher specs, but if I have to pay $300-$400 more for that (most likel with a smaller screen), I think I'll save the money to upgrade quiker then I would with a more expensive computer.

I was asking about Aero as I had heard stories about needing a good video card to fully use the visual effects (3D flip thing and glass effect).

The extra RAM might be a good option (or with the USB as RAM option Jaded talked about.