No.^*

No: If you already have WinXP on a computer that is less than 3 years old, I’m a big fan of ftain’t bro’akded, do’an fuxut.

No, just buy a new PC: If you have WinXP on a PC that’s 3-5 years old and you think an upgrade to Vista will “make it run better” you’ve been misled. Order a new Gateway online or pick one up at Best Buy with Vista preinstalled. Spend between $1000 and $1500. Don’t want to spend that much? Don’t do anything. Your PC is just fine.

No, buy a new PC: If you have Win2K/Me/98 as your desktop OS, then it’s probably time. Order a new Gateway online or pick one up at Best Buy with Vista preinstalled. Don’t spend more than $1000, and make sure you get an LCD monitor. You will get a computer comparable to the the one I have sitting on my desk at home.

^*If you want to be running the latest and greatest software for it’s own sake, then by all means upgrade. But then you already knew the reasoning behind my “No” answers. Oh, and the whole reason I started this post is because Ken Fisher at Ars Technica has put together a most clear and readable synopsis of the difference between OEM and Retail versions of Microsoft’s OS, and I wanted to share.