*** Windows 7 - best version for low 'spec' notebook?

[dave_the_scot]

Hi

I have ordered Windows 7 Home Premium E x86 for my Toshiba P200 17C computer and, as far as we know, the "E" versions are now not going to be released at all, and apparently, for the price we have already paid, we are still going to get the 'full' version of our chosen Windows 7?

I'vw also read that Windows 7 runs really well on low spec computers and so I would also like to know which version of Windows 7 would be suitable for a 'low spec' Toshiba notebook which has a 1.5GHz Celeron CPU, 1GB RAM and built in Intel GMA 950 graphics - can anyone who has tried the RC on low spec computer, please confirm this?

I realise that we are not going to be able run run Home Premium and get 'aero' etc, but many reports have said that the 'basic' and 'starter' versions will work well on systems with low end spec.

Regards

Dave

[null_]

To be honest they should all run pretty much the same. I've run Windows 7 Ultimate on a Pentium 4 2.8 GHz (no hyperthreading), 1 GB of RAM, on a really old Intel 865 chipset and it ran fine. Home Premium should run well, if you find it too slow try turning off DWM and it should make it a little snappier, although you will lose out on a few features.

[hdood]

I would just go with Home Premium, there's no real performance difference, just a different in available features. Also, I'm pretty sure the 950 can in fact handle Aero if you want to.

[Ricardo Gil]

  hdood said:

Also, I'm pretty sure the 950 can in fact handle Aero if you want to.

Yup, the 950 supports Aero just fine. Both Vista/7.

[Ryster]

Indeed Kristan, all the editions of Windows 7 (barring the home basic or starter or whatever its called) are pretty much the same so far as the core operating system is concerned. They only differ in terms of features, so get whichever you can afford.

[aussiefloyd_fan]

  hdood said:

I would just go with Home Premium, there's no real performance difference, just a different in available features. Also, I'm pretty sure the 950 can in fact handle Aero if you want to.

yep with a 3.0 score at taht .. i had a 945 in my asue eee and thats what it got with 64MB vram

[dave_the_scot]

Hi

Many thanks to everyone who replied. :)

Here is the Toshiba 'spec' for the notebook.

http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe.com/inn...&service=UK

The notebook has Vista Premium installed ATM (it came with XP), and I don't think it's capable of aero etc , though i may be wrong?

I stated that the graphics were the Intel GMA 950 and I'm sure that's what Device Manager showed when XP was installed but, I just checked the display details in Device Manager and it shows the following Microsoft Driver:

Intel? 82852/82855 GM/GME Graphics Controller (Microsoft Corporation - XDDM)

BTW, I think it got a WEI score of 1.0 when I last checked.

Maybe it needs an up to date Intel driver - if there is one for this 'discontinued' model???

I've increased the RAM to the MAX of 1GB.

With regard to which version of Windows 7, are your thoughts still the same?

Dave

[Ytterbium]

It doesn't make any differance, just use Win7 Version that you want to use.

[Berserk87]

my msi wind runs windows 7 perfectly, including high quality video play back, and with no effects or features disabled.

1.6Ghz, 2Gb DDR2, 250Gb HDD :)

[jznomoney]

I have mine on an EEEPC 900 with 16gb ssd drive with 2gb of ram and a 900mhz celeron. It runs good. Better than it did with xp.

[Raa]

It'll run perfectly on that laptop, but no Aero - the 8xx Intel series won't do Aero.

[9UnknownMen]

Well yeah, it really does work surprisingly well on low spec hardware. Hopefully the "Who Cares?" uber sensitive segment here forgives us from bringing this fact up.

As for your specific setup, it should work just as well as XP. Hopefully that assertion isn't too blasphemous.