Real-world hardware requirements for new software

[perezoso]

What are some approximate real-world hardware requirements for the latest software?

I have decided to buy a cheap refurbished PC system (had been using a Mac) dedicated to the RB. 

Can I get by with a P4 2.0ghz 512mb RAM system running XP Pro?  If not, what's the lowliest PC for running RB that wouldn't be too much of a headache?

[Mike_Tassy]

I am using an old acer travelmate 260  - 1gig processor / 768meg ram / 8 gig video and it runs it fine.  Just make sure you can load whatever computer with as much ram as possible
and it should be ok
Mike

[AirNav Support]

Its also depends on the traffic you are receiving, the more the aircraft the more load on your machine.

Where are you based perezoso?

[Fenris]

The P4 may be a bit slow for RB even at 2GHz, but would recommend at least doubling the RAM to provide some safety margin against swapping reducing the effective system speed. There's nothing so slow as virtual memory :)

[perezoso]

I was formerly in Bogotá... and am now trying to get set up in rural Texas.

[richk107]

My setup consists of a P4 3.0Ghz with 2GB of RAM. I can have multiple apps with the Radarbox software running without issues.  I am able to handle the traffic from EWR(~6.6nm away), LGA(~20nm away) & JFK (~25nm away) without issues.

[perezoso]

I'm going to try a new little <US$200 mini-PC with an Atom 230 processor, like the ones that power netbooks. It has 1gb RAM; but has a free RAM slot in case I need it.

One concession is that it has an Nvidia graphics chip that will drive a 1080p monitor without taxing the CPU (which draws a whopping 4 watts of power).  

Only slightly more expensive than a refurbished P4 system and a lot less power hungry.

Wish me luck...