With the holidays fast approaching, people are beginning to wonder if and when they should upgrade their computers and how Windows Vista should fit into those plans. Here is a synopsis of what is coming out when and a guide that should help you determine what you need:

The Latest Chips:

It seems like Intel is cranking out a new chip every minute and a half these days. This year alone we have seen the Pentium D, Core Solo, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, and coming soon, the Core 2 Quad. Thanks to the confusing naming structure, it’s no wonder you get that glazed-over look when you enter the store and attempt to compare computers!

I listed the chips (all for desktop computers) in chronological order of their release. This is the first clue as to which chip is the latest and fastest. The Core Solo chip is the only one of the bunch that contains only one “core” (think brain). All the other chips are “multi-core” meaning that they each contain two or more brains on the same physical chip. The Pentium D, Core Duo, and Core 2 Duo each have two cores built into one chip. This means that each chip can do twice the work of a single core chip in the same amount of time. The Core 2 Quad chip is basically two Core 2 Duo chips glued together, resulting in 4 brains. With certain processor-heavy applications, the more brains, the faster the work gets done. However, because these chips have been rolled out so very quickly, most consumer software has not caught up. Those who use their computers for web browsing, e-mail, and basic Office applications won’t see any speed benefit to using a multi-core chip. Those programs simply aren’t designed to split the work up between the various brains. Video and photo editors, as well as certain gamers, will see a vast improvement over the old chips.

So what is the main difference between the Pentium D, Core Duo, and Core 2 Duo? The architecture of each chip. Simply put, the signal in a Core 2 Duo chip has less far to travel inside the chip before it is output into the rest of the computer. The path that data must travel in the Pentium D is longer than that in the Core Duo, which in turn is longer than that in the Core 2 Duo. Add to that the fact that in both the Core Duo and the Core 2 Duo, more data can move side-by-side than in the Pentium D (more lanes on the freeway, so to speak).

But do you really need the latest and fastest chip? Depends on what you are doing with it. If you plan on sticking with Windows XP and surfing the net, e-mailing unedited photos, and doing Office applications, you don’t need the latest and greatest. A Core Solo or Pentium D is fine. You are also good with about 512MB of RAM and a 40GB hard drive. OK, just for fun you might want to splurge on a larger hard drive, say 120GB. They aren’t that much more expensive.

The Vista Factor:

But what about Windows Vista? That’s the monkey wrench in this whole equation. Microsoft has delayed its release to consumers until January 30, 2007. Many manufacturers are now selling computers with coupons for free Vista upgrades when it is finally released. However, many industry experts are advising against this option. If you really want Vista, they are recommending you hold off your computer purchase until February, when you can buy a computer with Vista already installed on it. I can’t help but agree with this course of action. Sure, I can make more money installing Vista for people, but do you really want to deal with that kind of expense and headache?

Many more are asking the real question about Vista: Is it worth waiting for? A lot of the major benefits that Microsoft promised in Vista are no longer included. The new file structure is gone. The new programming language is bust. But there are some genuine improvements. Parental controls are built in to the operating system, making them difficult to overcome. Vista now requires authorization and a password every time new software is installed (this severely hampers spyware and viruses from installing themselves to your computer without your knowledge and permission). New search tools allow you to “tag” your pictures, videos, and files so you can search them by “keyword” (think of it as a Google search for your own hard drive). Gamers will want to take advantage of the amazing graphics and physics rendering that is promised in DirectX 10. And the darn thing looks very, very pretty.

But there are reasons to hold off on Vista as well. First, being a brand new piece of software, it is untested in the real world. This is especially true of its “security” features. Don’t buy into the hype that Vista is “the most secure operating system ever.” They said the same thing about XP, and we now know that XP is full of holes. That’s not to say that Vista isn’t more secure than XP. But we won’t know if Vista is “secure” until it has been attacked in the wild for a period of time.

So, who needs Vista? If you are constantly plagued by spyware and viruses, you probably want to make the move to Vista. If you have a large collection of pictures and videos and it’s increasingly difficult to find the one you want, you definitely want to upgrade. If you want your games to look awesome (and don’t mind the fact that most game makers will take at least 6 months to take advantage of the new features) you will certainly want to get Vista. If you’re like me and you absolutely have to have the latest and greatest as soon as it’s released, you absolutely must get Vista.

All this to say, if you want a machine that will run Vista and run it fast, as well as all of your games, photo editing, and video editing, I recommend at least a Core 2 Duo with 2GB of RAM, and the biggest hard drive you can afford. It will be well worth the extra cash to get the top machine now so it won’t go out of date in 6 months. However, if you can wait for Vista until Service Pack 1 is released (approx. September 2007), either stick with your current machine, or go ahead and buy a budget computer with a Pentium D.