I'm thinking of buying a new laptop but wondering if it might be best to wait. Do you think Windows 7 will require higher specs etc, as Vista did compared with XP?
Ben Cole
Any PC you buy today should have 2GB to 4GB of memory, which is enough for Windows Vista. The evidence so far is that Windows 7 uses less memory than Vista, and it uses the same drivers, so most newish PCs should run Windows 7 very comfortably (see this week's cover story). For preference go for 4GB of memory and 64-bit Vista. This version can exploit all the memory you can fit, and you will be able to upgrade to 64-bit Windows 7 without reformatting the hard drive.
Whether it's better to wait depends on how urgently you need a new PC. I expect that once Microsoft has fixed a date for Windows 7's launch, it will offer free Win7 upgrades to new Vista buyers. If it doesn't, PC manufacturers could see sales slow down, and no one wants that.
In general, of course, it's cheaper and easier to move to a new version of Windows when you buy a new PC. If you could get another nine months from your current system by spending up to £50 to upgrade either the memory or the graphics card, that might be worth considering.
