Find The Right Operating systems

Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Intel Mac users will like Snow Leopard's smartly designed interface enhancements, and its Exchange support is a must-have (especially with Outlook for Mac on the way). With a ton of technological improvements, Snow Leopard is worth the $29 upgrade fee.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, 5 GB, Intel, 1 GB, 10.6, DVD-ROM, Intel

Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium)

Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 16 GB, 1 GHz 1 GHz, 1 GB, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 1 GHz, 1 GHz

Microsoft Windows 7 (Ultimate)

Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 16 GB, 1 GHz 1 GHz, 1 GB, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 1 GHz, 1 GHz

Microsoft Windows 7 (Professional)

Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 16 GB, 1 GHz 1 GHz, 1 GB, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 1 GHz, 1 GHz

Windows 7 prebeta (build 6801)

Although not even in beta, Windows 7 already appears stable and full of consumer-friendly features.

Windows Vista SP1

While it's always good to install the latest code for any operating system, installing the Windows Vista SP1 update will require some casual users to spend a few hours without any visible or tangible improvements to their systems.

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

The grace of Leopard's interface enhancements makes productivity more pleasurable with a Mac, as more than 300 functional and fun features top off this update.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, PowerPC G4 867 MHz, 512 MB, 10.5.6, DVD-ROM, PowerPC G4, 867 MHz

Apple Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (100-999 Volume Licenses)

Though its new user features have mixed appeal, Tiger's technological changes and speed improvements make this an enticing upgrade, especially for those who passed on Panther.

Specs: 1 seat, License, 3 GB, PowerPC G3, 256 MB, 10.4, IEEE 1394 FireWire port, PowerPC G3

Apple Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (10-99 Volume Licenses)

Though its new user features have mixed appeal, Tiger's technological changes and speed improvements make this an enticing upgrade, especially for those who passed on Panther.

Specs: 1 seat, License, 3 GB, PowerPC G3, 256 MB, 10.4, IEEE 1394 FireWire port, PowerPC G3

Apple Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (1000+ Volume Licenses)

Though its new user features have mixed appeal, Tiger's technological changes and speed improvements make this an enticing upgrade, especially for those who passed on Panther.

Specs: 1 seat, License, 3 GB, PowerPC G3, 256 MB, 10.4, IEEE 1394 FireWire port, PowerPC G3

Apple Mac OS X v10.4.6 Tiger

Though its new user features have mixed appeal, Tiger's technological changes and speed improvements make this an enticing upgrade, especially for those who passed on Panther.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, 3 GB, PowerPC G3, 256 MB, 10.4.6, DVD-ROM, IEEE 1394 FireWire port, PowerPC G3

Apple Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger Family Pack

Though its new user features have mixed appeal, Tiger's technological changes and speed improvements make this an enticing upgrade, especially for those who passed on Panther.

Specs: 5 users, Complete package, 3 GB, PowerPC G3, 256 MB, 10.4, IEEE 1394 FireWire port, PowerPC G3

Microsoft Vista Home Basic

Windows Vista Home Basic is essentially warmed-over Windows XP, Windows XP SP3. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 20 GB, Intel x86 1 GHz, 512 MB, DVD-ROM, Sound card, 32 MB video memory, Internet connection, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, Intel x86, 1 GHz

Windows Vista Home Premium

Windows Vista Home Premium is essentially warmed-over Windows XP Home Edition. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista Home Premium is stable enough for everyday use.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 40 GB, Intel x86 1 GHz, 1 GB, DVD-ROM, Sound card, 128 MB video memory, Internet connection, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, Intel x86, 1 GHz

Windows Vista Business

Windows Vista Business is essentially warmed-over Windows XP. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 40 GB, Intel x86 1 GHz, 1 GB, DVD-ROM, Sound card, 128 MB video memory, Internet connection, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, Intel x86, 1 GHz

Windows Vista Ultimate

Windows Vista is essentially warmed-over Windows XP. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.

Specs: 1 PC, Complete package, 40 GB, Intel x86 1 GHz, 1 GB, DVD-ROM, Sound card, 128 MB video memory, Internet connection, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, Intel x86, 1 GHz

Windows XP Professional x64 edition

Only software developers and high-end workstation users will see real benefits from Windows XP Professional x64 Edition; everyone else should stick with 32-bit Windows XP instead.

Specs: 16 GB, 16 TB

Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

Media Center Edition 2005 is the best desktop DVR app out there, but it's not yet ready to play hub for your digital home.

Specs: 1 user, License and media, 4 GB, 256 MB, 4x DVD-ROM, XGA monitor, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, AGP graphics card with 64MB of memory

Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2

We recommend installing Windows XP SP2 but only after Microsoft has had a few weeks to work out the kinks.

Specs: 1 user, Complete package, 1.5 GB, Intel Pentium 233 MHz, 64 MB, CD-ROM, SVGA monitor, Mouse or compatible device, Intel Pentium, 233 MHz

MS Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition - Complete package - 1 server, 5 clients - STD - CD/DVD

For small businesses that need a business in a box and want to stick with Microsoft technology, SBS 2003 is the only game in town.

Specs: 1 server, 5 clients, Complete package