just to show i read through it . Hehe. Nice guide , will be useful for lots of people stuck on the decision.

Vista sure is a nice OS , but still lacks the simplicity many users need. The layout has changed a bit , which usually is no problem for even small time computer users , but can pose some difficulty for others , like my folks , who still ask me how to do basic stuff on it.
Also , Gaming surely has improved after SP1 , with much much more optimized memory allocations and usage. Can still use a bit more but.
And as u said , people with 2GB or more only should look at Vista if they plan on gaming on it in its present condition.