With CPU's now at 2.5 and above, what is the lowest recommended speed for the PC I'm probably going to purchase within the next month?

Look at the software you use and the requirements for loading and running. You can save yourself some heartache knowing in advance the processor speed recommendations. (For example, my laptop is a 166 MHz. I was pretty disappointed when Diablo II came out and recommended a faster speed!)

I suggest at least 500mhz and 64mb ram if you are going to run Win98/95. If you are going to run 2000/XP then go with 850mhz or faster with 96mb of ram. XP will run on 64mb of ram but it will be painfull!

If you are going for Linux - I have heard of some people who can run it on as low as 16mb of ram! I am not sure of minimum processor speed.

I'd say 1.5GHz is a happy number, seeing as that is where the "one step above bargain basement" machines are at right now. Don't waste your money on top of the line because it won't be top of the line for long and you'll be out a lot of money.
Now, a personal note. If I was to go out and buy a new computer today, the first thing I would do when I got home was wipe the hard drive of XP and put a respectable operating system on there... or if I had to use a Windows OS, I'd put 98SE on it. But hey, that's just me. What do I know?
Also, about Linux... ever hear of 386 Linux clusters? Linux and Unix are very good about not being demanding on a machine. OK, I shut up now.
-Cray, Senior in CS, Southern IL University Carbondale

quote:

Originally posted by JWooden271:
I suggest at least 500mhz and 64mb ram if you are going to run Win98/95. If you are going to run 2000/XP then go with 850mhz or faster with 96mb of ram. XP will run on 64mb of ram but it will be painfull!

I agree on your 850Mhz recommmendation, but would not go lower. Even if you plan on just running Win9x, you may eventually wish to upgrade. And if you don't, newer games and apps may recommend higher speeds. Also, I wouldn't dream of running Win2000/XP on less that 128MB. As cheap as memory is, I would double to 256MB.



[This message was edited by Northwind Dagas on 06-24-02 at 09:53 AM.]

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,