Personally, I use a Mac, but I'd been looking for a while for a replacement for an older (read: relic), underpowered XP box.
I chose Windows 7 because it's the OS that my sister's got on her laptop and didn't wish to confuse here with a different user interface. I've fiddled a bit with Windows 8 and I don't quite feel it's ready for prime time.
Anyway, for what it's worth, the footprint on the newer W7 box is a heck of a lot smaller than the previous one, with a decent (circa 2010) Core 2 Duo processor, 250gig 7200 RPM hard drive, 4GB memory and 64-bit. It's also got almost 10 times the graphic horsepower than the old box. Needless to say it's a Lamborghini compared to the old Fiesta.
Wound up getting it refurbished from Amazon for under $235.
