Would my computer be able to realistically handle Windows 7?

adityaparikh1 · 06 Feb 2011

Currently I have a Dell Desktop running Windows XP SP3. The specifications on the computer are the following:

Intel Pentium 4 3.00GHz Processor w/ Hyper Threading

1GB RAM

128MB NVIDIA Graphics Card

Would my computer realistically be able to run Windows 7? I would be willing to up the RAM 1 or 2GB if necessary.

The things I would be doing on the computer are the following:

Microsoft Office 2010

Web Browsing upto 3 tabs at a time

iTunes, Listening to Music

Thank you!

Jacee · 06 Feb 2011

Run the test to see ... Download details: Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

GeneO · 06 Feb 2011

Yes if you upgrade the RAM.

adityaparikh1 · 06 Feb 2011

Windows Upgrade Advisor says my computer can, what about drivers?

holo88 · 06 Feb 2011

Trust me. You'll be fine. I've been using 7 on my current machine for well over a year. Having a readyboost drive helps out, so grab a little 2gig usb drive for 8 bucks.

Second thought, you might want to pick up a new graphics card. The same card in my machine (see specs) currently costs about $40 USD. food for thought.

-edit-

Third thought, if you have 3-400 bucks to spare, pick up an inexpressive system from walmart or similar. They come preloaded with 7 and are about 3X beefier than Op's current rig.

GeneO · 06 Feb 2011

adityaparikh1 said:

Windows Upgrade Advisor says my computer can, what about drivers?

Windows 7 will be pretty good about drivers in general, though you may have to got to the manufacturer of a device, but I doubt it.

You really should upgrade that RAM if you want a good experience. RAM is pretty cheap now.

Windows 7 is more efficient than XP. If you disable a few of the windows graphics effects options, you should experience a noticeable increase in responsiveness.