System 7.0 runs on all Macintosh computers with 2MB of RAM and a hard drive. If you have a Macintosh with a 68030 microprocessor (or a 68020 with a PMMU), you can also take advantage of virtual memory (VM).
On a 2MB Macintosh running System 7.0, you have enough RAM (750K to 1024K) to run one moderate-size application like a word processor or spreadsheet.
With a 2MB Macintosh SE running System 7:
* You always have access to the desktop
* You can use most of the features of System 7
* You have about the same amount of memory for applications as you did under System 6 with 1MB of RAM.
Further, a System 7 Macintosh is as fast as a System 6 Macintosh SE, and even faster in many important operations like copying files.
Note: Turning file sharing on reduces memory available for applications by about 200K. Using on-board video on a Macintosh IIsi and Macintosh IIci can consume over 300K of memory when the monitor is set to 8-bit color.
How you use your Macintosh computer affects how much memory you will need. This makes it difficult to make a memory recommendation for a particular user.
Taking advantage of other specific features of System 7 may require other hardware like a network, color monitor, and so on.