Should you buy a new PC before Windows 7 is released?

With Windows 7 slated to hit the store shelves on October 22 you might be struggling with the decision between buying a new computer right now or waiting until PC’s loaded with the new operating system become available. Well, in my opinion now is as good a time as any, and here are a couple of reasons why:

#1 – Vista PC’s are currently being sold at deep discounts. Like the auto dealers at the end of the model year, computer retailers need to have their old inventory out the door when the “new models” go on sale. Shelf space is very limited, and as much of it as possible needs to be available to hold all of those brand new Windows 7 machines that will hit the stores on October 22.

#2 – New PC’s loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium or better that are sold between now and October 22 will qualify for a FREE upgrade to a comparable version of Windows 7 when it becomes available. This means you can be using a brand new computer NOW and then upgrade to Windows 7 in just a little over 2 weeks for no additional charge.

Here are a couple of recommendations for choosing a Windows Vista PC with plans to take advantage of the free upgrade to Win 7:

1 – Choose a system that comes loaded with Vista Home Premium or better (per #2 above).

2 – Choose a system capable of running Windows 7 in 64 bit mode. You can either research the available CPU’s yourself before heading to the store, ask a salesman which PC’s in the store are 64 bit machines (and trust him/her to actually know), or simply buy one that is already loaded with the 64 bit version of Vista.

Of the two suggestions above, #1 is a must if you want to qualify for the free Windows 7 upgrade, and #2 is highly recommended due to the inherent advantages of running a 64 bit operating system.

Conclusion: By shopping around you can save yourself some major bucks by buying now instead of waiting for the Windows 7 machines to hit the shelves. Yes, the new machines will surely be more advanced than the current Vista models, but buying a new PC is always subject to the law of diminishing returns.

By buying now you’ll get a new computer that is likely much faster and a lot more powerful than the one you currently use, while spending hundreds of dollars more in a couple of weeks will buy just a few incremental improvements. And besides, all of those brand new Windows 7 PC’s that go on sale on the 22nd will be technologically outdated anyway in just a few short months.