I first tried 7 ultimate on my asus netbook, then downgraded to home premium. I still found it nowhere near as fast as XP so I went back to XP. Why not try a dual boot to start with? This is what I did, and it's far easier to get an idea of the speed differences with both XP and Windows 7 installed. Just need to make a nice Windows XP install disk now......!
Just bought me a Samsung External DVD-Writer and goodbye to the hassle of installing operating systems
on some older PCs (p4, radeon9800) ive noticed the desktop/explorer feels much snappier with aero enabled.
XP runs smooth on lappy's.... 7 also will run fast so long as you have the right RAM installed. either one should work just fine Vista is another story however, its too bulky and uses a lot of resouces.