Performance in low-spec PCs?

I have a question about real-world performance of the upcoming Windows 7.
I missed the beta download period, and therefore could not test it out.
I now have a spare PC that I am hoping Windows 7 would run snappy on...

From the people that have used the beta, are Microsoft's preliminary system requirement guideline, realistic?
I've read around blogs and posts of users that say it works on single-core CPUs and as low as 512MB RAM.

My PC is:

AMD Opteron 146 (Socket 939)
WD VelociRaptor 300GB
1 GB DDR (PC3200)
AMD Radeon HD 3450

According to MS's requirement, it is doable, but I'm betting this is more of a minimal requirement? I am worried this PC might be too slow, even if it's reportedly way better than Vista...

I am hoping to build this PC for my sister that will do mostly email/web, store music, other basic tasks, and some light gaming.

I would appreciate some feedback from people that have tried the beta, thanks!

I predict that the Celeron 420, 430 & 440 will run fine too
DEPENDING ENTIRELY ON WHAT YOU ASK THEM TO DO:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116039
(NB: 64-bit support)

There is just too much marketing "hype"
for my taste: now we need a dual-core
system to do word processing?

HUH??

I don't think so: I did word processing
and Internet email for several years
back in 1996 -- with a 100 MHz CPU,
later upgraded to a 200 MHz CPU.

Dell did a detailed study several years ago
and concluded that its new PCs ran fine
with much smaller power supplies.

Now we all need 1,000 Watt power supplies?

I DON'T THINK SO. What we're seeing is the
economic consequences of higher profit margins
on the larger wattage PSUs; those, in turn,
are driving the marketing hype.


Caveat emptor (buyer beware).


MRFS

I ran an online business with a 100MHz. Intel processor in 1996. Upgraded to a 133MHz. and marveled at the speed increase. Still have that system. It has a 1 (one) GB HD.

Thanks a bunch, guys. Safe to say I'd be able to install Win7 just fine. :-)

Ran it on an older HP with

amd 64 3200+
1.25 gigs ram (DDR1)
100GB slow hard drive LOL, and full to boot


It worked, but it was slow. never crashed or anything, just really asside from the looks, didnt seem like an improvement over the XP SP3 I was running. switched out some stuff to:

E5200 OC'ed
4 gigs ram
still same slow ide hard drive

now its flying, huge improvement.

I've been using Win7 Beta 1 since January on the system in my signature (2.2GHz Athlon 64, 2GB DDR, HD2600), and it runs quite well; it seems faster than my (admitedly junked up) XP install.