Dont buy a PC/Laptop til after Vista is launched next week!

PeteHerts

I've noticed the prices dropping already and people selling stuff on Ebay are gonna have a tougher time getting rid of old stock. I'd keep an eye on all the Dell promotions next week and the 3rd party sites that sell they're stuff on or refer they're e-value codes.

quoia

If early Vista is a pile of !!!!!! the cost of laptops & desktops pre-loaded with XP might rise when a shortage of them outweigh demand for a PC that works straight out of the box and has driver support for existing printers & scanners etc..

EDIT: What am I saying..... I must be mad ....

"IF early Vista is a pile of !!!!!!"

What else is it going to be?
Every other version of Windows (with the possible exception of NT - which of course Microsoft didn't create) started out as a pile of poo!

cracker1979

I got a new Compaq (HP) laptop last week and I've just checked the Vista upgrade website and I'm entitled to a free Vista Premium upgrade but they want to charge £12.90 for delivery!

Is it just me or is that excessive for a CD that will cost pennies to produce and pennies to post!?


Although I cant really complain as I got the £450 laptop for £340

ILikeFreebies

Cracker

Yes that is expensive postage, but its a damn sight cheaper than paying for an upgrade. A quick look on pricerunner is showing the cheapest Vista premium home upgrade to be £140, before delivery. Makes that £12.90 sound cheap.

cracker1979

My point being, that those of us who are entitled to a "free" upgrade, are really being ripped-off on the postage

ILikeFreebies

I bought a "Vista Capable" laptop last week and I'm more than happy to spend £12 for the upgrade than £140.

crox

quoia wrote:

What else is it going to be?
Every other version of Windows (with the possible exception of NT - which of course Microsoft didn't create) started out as a pile of poo!

And here I thought NT was poo until version 4...

cheapaschips_2

i was talking to the owner of our local pc shop, he's a beta tester for microsoft and has been using vista for a while now.
his opinion is (FWIW)...
there will be very few supported products designed for vista for a while yet. you need a really high end machine to run it. it wont suit a lot of people becasue its more professionals based.
i wouldnt have a clue but he csounded liek he know what he was talking about.
the long and short of it being - dont wait for it, get XP cause they're different.

topher_2

I run a 500 PC network and have access to the beta versions of Vista. In my opinion I wouldn't touch Vista until at least service pack one is out. I see no need for Vista at the moment until some "killer application" needs it. We don't expect to upgrade for 24 months.

Lowtrawler

Well, I have used Vista on 2 computers and a laptop. Never had any problems with hardware drivers. The 64 bit version shouldn't be touched by consumers - definitely for corporate environments only due to the need for signed drivers and general lack of support. Also agree that 99.99% of consumers should wait at least 6 months before moving to Vista.

In a nutshell, Vista provides 4 features that may or may not entice you to upgrade:

1. The snazzy, good looking, Aero interface. Vista DOES look better and more up to date than XP.
2. DirectX10 - the first games using DX10 will start to appear around May and if you really have to play them - you will need Vista.
3. Security. It is far more secure than XP but in achieving this it has made it more difficult for you to manage the system (you constantly get pop-ups asking for permission and you need to go through hoops to install certain software and hardware).
4. Stability. Even at launch, it is more stable than XP.

As for requiring high-end hardware........So long as you have 1Gb of RAM and a DirectX9 capable graphics card (with 128Mb of RAM), it will run faster than XP on your existing hardware.

You should not upgrade straightaway because:

1. You will need to buy new anti-virus software / system optimisation software and not a great choice is out there at the moment.
2. Not all software that you own or need will work on Vista. For me, this includes certain music streaming software, harmony remote control software and video editing software. Wait until you can get Vista compatible versions of ALL your required software.

In essence, Vista is insufficiently different to XP to cause you a requirement to upgrade until you need a piece of software that simply won't work under XP. You will have problems finding Vista compatible versions of your software if you upgrade in the next 6 months and so the sensible thing to do is to wait.