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Story: 10 ways to increase Vista's performance

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My WEI is 2.0 but I've had no performance trouble at all

I'm running on an old nVidia GeForce 6200, which gives Aero a somewhat dismal subscore of 2.0. I cannot use the latest nVidia drivers due to a monitor maximum resolution detection bug, so I'm using the default drivers that shipped with Windows. Due to my excessive need for multitasking, I have dual monitors, both at 1280x1024, I run Aero with all the juicy effects enabled (in fact, I've manually enforced even more transparency by patching the Aero system resource files), and I regularly enjoy watching high bit-rate, high definition films (both 720p and 1080p downscaled to fit on one screen) with 5.1 surround sound. Only trouble arises if I'm watching a film and I hit Ctrl+Start+Tab; then things get a little jerky. But I only do that for the sheer thrill of watching the graphics card cry.

Oh, due to Microsoft's inefficient high definition codec, "DreamScene" content doesn't play properly; but I accept that my graphics processor is already working at the end of its tether and that may be a bridge too far. Sometime I will upgrade the graphics card, but probably not until nearer Christmas.

Admittedly, the rest of my computer does much better in the WEI (all the non-graphical subscores are between 5.1 and 5.7), and I do have 2GB of RAM, but according to some people who love to spread FUD about Microsoft and Windows, my computer would be at a crawl because it is so dependent upon the graphics card. Yet this is not the case at all.

Nonetheless, in my opinion it is true that most people probably should not upgrade their existing systems to Windows Vista; instead, when their current computers approach the end of their working lives, they should purchase new ones with Vista pre-installed.

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