Hello, Basically, i am moving to University and i have a choice of one of two PCs. One of which i currently own and has all my information on. The second is my parents newer PC which is hardly used. I am going to be studying a Bachelor of Information Technology so i need a half decent computer. I would like to know which PC is better to upgrade and will have the better system/setup overall. I ran System Info to find the following info on the two computers: ***My Current Computer*** Manufacturer: Compaq Presario 061 Product Name: EL540AA-ABG SR1720AN AN610 Motherboard: MSI AMETHYST-M Graphics: Radeon X1300 Series PCI Ports: 3 PCIe Ports: 0 AGP: 0 RAM: 512MB PC3200 DDR2 (2x 256) CPU: AMD Sempron 3200+ Storage: 80GB (IDE ATA) DVD Drive: SONY DVD RW DRU-710A %%% What i know so far: Maximum of 4GB DDR PC3200 RAM Could upgrade HDD but i have a 500GB External so it's not necessary. I know it runs fine but it is also getting very old now. ***My Parents PC*** Manufacturer: MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD Product Name: MS-7222 Motherboard: MSI MS-7222 (PM8PM-L) Graphics: ATI Radeon 9600 XT (V350) PCI Ports: 4 PCIe Ports: 0 AGP: 1 RAM: 1GB DDR2-533 (266 MHz) (2 x 512MB) CPU: Intel Pentium D CPU 2.66GHz Storage: 250GB (IDE SATA) DVD Drive: HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-H10N %%% What i know do far: Maximum of 2GB DDR2 PC2-3200 and PC2-4200 Runs well and is practially empty. Almost New (bought just before the Vista Boom) Both computers are running Windows XP (Personal) Service Pack 2. Both computers have regular defrags, and clean ups (once a month) If anyone requires more information just ask. Which computer should i take, i will have it for around 4 years. So the one that can be upgraded with time and not start crashing would be nice. Any help is greatly appreciated Cedwa

Sounds like your parents' PC wins hands down. Not only is its hardware better, but, as you pointed out, the Compaq is getting old. Whether either will last for four years without the need for upgrading or replacing parts remains to be seen. (BTW, I assume you mean that both PCs are running on Win XP Professional, not Personal.) 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

What type of computer you need at school is dependent on what you need to do with it. If homework is it, then pretty much any computer with internet capability able to run the basic programs you need to run would suffice. However, most schools make the student maintain a certain level of security on their computers. I doubt either of those computers will make it for four years. You may be forced to run Vista is order to maintain security. I doubt either of the computers is Vista capable. The bottom line, IMO, you will need to buy a computer in the next year or so. Take the unit with your files on it for now. After you get there you can make a better determination of the minimum requirements.

The second computer is definitely superior. OtheHill might be right about waiting, but the second computer should have no problem running Vista, though more RAM(which you could add) would make it faster.