Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit for System Builders - OEM

Pros: Nice interface. Nice additional programs. Faster load time than XP. DirectX 10 ready.

Cons: Cannot take more than 4GB. Slow; often crashes w/ large file transfers. UAC annoying.

Other Thoughts: I originally bought this b/c I thought I was going to use the systems in Business w/ the multimedia capabilies of Home. After one year of use, barely use either. Biggest gripe is that any memory after 4GB does not help this system, secondary to the 32 bit limit. If you plan on upgrading and building something now, go for 64 bit. UAC is also a pain--why do I need permission for everything to load and unload? Otherwise, ok Operating system; would have used a combo of XP 64 bit and Linux instead. One more thing; "Ultimate Extras" are definitely not worth the premium price compared to Home.

Pros: the look, and it downloaded super fast!!!!

Cons: welll there are some features that i didnt like, i really didnt know the difference between the 32-bit and the 64-bit, but now i do.. gonna get the 64 soon :)

Other Thoughts: n/a

Pros: DX 10, Firewall, Wallpaper, Aero Glass, what't not to love...................................................................................

Cons: Only One, not faster than XP.

Other Thoughts: VISTA IS ONLY FOR NEW OR FAST COMPUTERS!!!

Pros: Looks good. Runs good. Now crashes less often than my work laptop running XP.

Cons: Driver support was poor. Occasionally incompatible with older software. Security and permissions can be confusing.

Other Thoughts: Bought this a little more than a year ago, and with all of the negative press that it was receiving, I decided to build a dual-boot system (Vista and Windows XP). It was tough going for about 2 months with driver issues for the network interface (slow and spotty connection), memory issues (crashed with more than 2GB installed), and video driver problems. Once ASUS corrected their drivers and fixed the bios to stop the memory crashes, and NVIDIA fixed their video drivers, it has been great. I am not sure if I would install this on older hardware, but on my one-year old stuff it runs really well. Most of the software I run works fine (even the older stuff) and I only run Windows XP to run one older program. If you are building new, don't hesitate to run Vista (but don't forget to update your drivers right away).
My System:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz
ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 nForce 570 MB
4 GB RAM
2 500GB Seagate HDs (Raid 1)
2 EVGA 8600 GTS in SLI mode

Pros: The backup image feature in Vista Ultimate is fantastic. It by itself is almost worth upgrading from Home Premium. Microsoft has has taken security serious in Vista. The annoyances people complain about are the say ones that keep your computer far safer than it ever was with XP.

Cons: Those "are you sure you want to x, y and z" popup windows do get annoying at times, but the added security they provide balances them out. Windows took a step backward in their file backup utility (different from the image backup). I guess it's a bit easier for a novice to use though. To me that's a minor flaw since I use another program for my backups.

Other Thoughts: Vista has gotten an undeservedly bad rap in a lot of regards. If you remember when XP came out, you had to run the compatibility test to see which hardware and software weren't going to work with XP. Vista was/is the same way. It's to be expected though. Having a more powerful and high tech OS means you're going to need newer and more powerful hardware. I've been using Vista since it first came out and haven't even once thought about going back to XP.

Pros: Looks good and seems stable so far. DX 10 is cool for gaming and other visuals.

Cons: The over protective security features are lame. I'm working to turn them down a bit. I'll probably get a faster processor for X-mas, now.

Other Thoughts: I upgraded thru an existing XP install and everything worked fine besides having to download Vista drivers for my ATI card. Other than the over protective security features, those Mac commercials are bogus.

My specs are: Athlon x2 @ 2.85ghz, ATI 4850 1gig, WD 640gig SATA, 2gigs RAM.

Pros: Worked like it is suppose to

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: If you are building a system with more then 4 Gigs of mem get teh 64bit verson.

Pros: Lots of neat features. works well most of the time

Cons: Another Bloated OS from MS. Performance is 40% less than XP pro on the same equipment. periodic blue screens which come back and ask me if I want to check for resolutions later. it never asks again. some compatibility issues with older hardware and software. several wireless nics do not work at all, or are supposed to but cause a blue screen when you put a load the card. had to replace a few expensive pieces of software.

Other Thoughts: This isn't the best, it isn't the worst. it took how many years for XP to be better? sooner or later we're going to be forced to switch.. so I usually adopt rather early.. and by the time everyone else has switched I know the product (very good for my support business!)

honestly this isn't as bad as XP was. I understand ME was really bad, but wouldn't you know I never had an issue with that one! :)

make sure you get good, fast hardware.. it's not as expensive as it used to be. make the leap, it won't kill you, I promise.

Pros: This OS looks better than XP and there are some nice new features.

Cons: I've run into a few incompatibility issues with some older games, but nothing that couldn't be overcome. Also, the "User Access Control" feature is highly annoying, but it's easy enough to disable.

Other Thoughts: Overall, this OS is not too bad, though in hindsight I think I would have rather stuck with XP rather than upgrade to Vista.

Pros: Very slick operating system, fast if you have a powerful enough rig. Comes with Direct X10. The multiple windows in aero are very cool as well.

Cons: Had to download an additional update just to get my system to recognize all 4GB of ram in my rig.

Other Thoughts: Definatley the next step in the windows franchise, and most of the bugs have been worked out now. A definite buy if you are planning on building/upgrading a new computer. I have had no software problems thus far with something not running because it is windows vista. I am an avid gamer and have had no compatibility problems with games yet as well.