Legit Reviews

The 64-bit outperforms 32-bit in some tasks involving large media files and compresion/decompresion. Also, if you are to use 4GB of RAM or more you will have to install 64-bit OS.

But, the 32-bit is better in terms of drivers and software support.

You might need Vista when DirectX 10 games are released, since there will be no DX10 for XP (I think). If you want to play DX10 games, of course...

If he has Windows, he can try to go to the System Properties/Device Manager. Under the System Devices tree there must be info on if it's AGP or PCIe.

Another option is a Sysoft Sandra software. There's a Computer Overview feature in it with clear info about motherboard.

There's Acer Aspire AS3680-2022 for $500 at BestBuy. It ships with Celeron M 420 processor at 1.6GHz, 512MB of DDR2, and 80GB HDD. The only thing I don't like is its 14.1-inch screen size.
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Have you noticed any battery life change after installing Vista? I've heard Vista drains battery faster than XP.

I have tried to configure Toshiba Satellite P100-ST1072 using your requirements, and got $1,147 price.

Have a look: http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/cmo ... 05&seg=HHO.