I don't think one is truly better than the other...just better for certain needs. They both have their issues. If the box you are getting is truly that low when it comes to resources I'd pick up a linux distro and learn to play with it.

Gotta love the goobs that spout 'i don't really know linux but i know it's more secure because my other friends who don't really know linux told me so'. The security of your machine is only as good as you make it.