(Jun 27, 1998: The system requirements on this page assume Windows 95 without BestMatch or NaturalWord. See How Much Memory Do You Really Need? for more information. BestMatch also requires approximately a 50% faster processor.)
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| NatSpeak will actually work fine on a lower end computer. I run NatSpeak on a 150 MHz Pentium and it runs in real time without any problem. Others complain that NatSpeak is unbearably slow on a Pentium 233MHz. |
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| If you are going to buy a new computer, just buy a decent machine. Anything you find on the market today will run NatSpeak fine. Do not bother to spend extra money on a faster processor unless you really want a faster processor. The Pentium 200 MHz processors which are standard low-end systems today are just fine. |
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| If you have at least a 133MHz processor and NatSpeak can not keep up with your talking then there is something else wrong. (Of course, sometimes it is easier to just get a faster processor than to try to figure out what is wrong.) |
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| NatSpeak will run fine on a 32 MB system using Windows 95. But, if you have a few extra bucks, I suggest you spend them on more memory. Having more memory will decrease NatSpeak load times and make it seem snappier especially when you switch between dictating and doing something else. I recommend getting 64MB. Memory is cheap. |
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| Also, make sure your system has an L2 cache. This seems to be critical to good performance on NatSpeak. Most systems have an L2 cache but some low end system do not. Check before you buy. |
If you do want to use a fast processor then you'll find using Dragon NaturallySpeaking is a real pleasure. I have run demonstrations using Pentium II 266 MHz processors and Dragon NaturallySpeaking run so fast that it seems like it type what you say even before you actually say it. Remember, it is not necessary to get this fast and machine to run Dragon NaturallySpeaking, but if you have one flaunt it. |