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Memory No Object

Although Windows 2000 is capable of running on systems equipped with a scant 32MB of memory, Microsoft recommends that your system have 64MB, and the company predicts that you'll get even better performance if you add more memory. But since few of the business systems that we see these days come with less than 64MB of RAM, we didn't bother to test performance formally with 32MB. Nonetheless, we did notice significant slowdowns on Windows 98 systems that had 32MB of RAM when we upgraded them previously with beta versions of Windows 2000.

Save on RAM

But our comparisons of 64MB and 128MB configurations indicate that bolstering the RAM speeds Windows 2000 negligibly on most tasks. The added RAM most benefited the memory- and disk-intensive Photoshop and Word tests. Our conclusion: Microsoft evidently worked hard to make Windows 2000 more efficient at managing memory than Windows NT 4.0, which manages to match Windows 2000's scores for PCs equipped with 64MB only when the systems are given another 64MB infusion. Like Windows 2000, Windows 98 SE seems to have little use for additional blocks of RAM beyond 64MB, to judge from most of our test results.

Holding your breath for the day when Windows will start up and shut down in a flash? Don't exhale yet. Cold-booting a Windows 2000 machine takes even longer than firing up with Windows 98 SE, and roughly the same amount of time as launching with NT 4.0. Of course, you may not care whether your system takes 45 seconds or 70 to boot, since you probably wandered off to the water cooler after the first 20 seconds anyway.

Fast Getaways

On the other hand, Windows 2000 shuts down very quickly--a fraction of a second faster than the already speedy Windows 98 SE--so you won't have to plan ahead before making your getaway from the office. Also, Windows 2000's improved stability frees you from having to administer the sort of daily reboot therapy that Windows 95 and 98 require on some systems. And in our tests, Win 2000's power management capabilities helped it snap out of standby or hibernation mode in a few seconds.

If you currently use Windows and your hardware is fairly up-to-date, Windows 2000's amalgam of 98's and NT 4.0's best features makes it a winning proposition, especially since the sibling OSs completed the performance derby in almost a dead heat. At the very least, Windows 2000 won't slow you down.

SUMMARY

Windows 2000 Professional $319 list; upgrade from Windows 95, 98, or 98 Second Edition $219 list; upgrade from Windows NT 4.0 $149 list. Microsoft www.microsoft.com