Can your PC handle Windows Vista?

Windows Vista, due out in January, will require quite a bit of computing horsepower. If you're thinking about upgrading your existing PC, try this test from CNET to determine if your hardware is up to the job.

This service from CNET and System Requirements Lab looks at your computer's hardware and system software to determine whether or not your current system's components are robust enough to adequately run Microsoft Windows Vista. Each of your computer's components is evaluated against CNET's recommended Vista requirements, and suggestions are provided on how to update or upgrade each component that does not meet the recommended specs.

Even if your computer meets Vista requirements, plenty of experts are warning against switching to Vista any time soon. Bruce Gain, writing in Wired News, says wait a year or more to do the Vista thang.

I would not recommend going out and buying Vista off the shelf or pre-installed on a PC when it becomes available. Users will likely suffer many headaches with missing peripheral drivers and a lack of backward compatibility with legacy software, and those headaches will not make Vista worth its hefty price tag.

If possible, wait a year or more after Vista's launch to invest in the operating system. At least by then, numerous updates, hardware drivers and service packs will likely have been released.

For another perspective, check out Dwight Silverman's recent appearance on Future Tense.