windows 7 - Does a computer use fewer resources when programs are minimized?

When programs are minimized in Windows 7, do they use less memory and CPU than leaving them maximized?

Answer

Yes. According to MS Support, the working set for a minimised application is trimmed. You can check this yourself with Process Explorer.

Here's a test of a single instance of Firefox 5.0 in Windows 7 x64 with a single tab of the ESPN.com website loaded. Values were read using Task Manager.

type                 not minimised  minimised     diff
------------------------------------------------------
working set               165,752k   163,768k  -1,984k
peak working set          169,624k   169,624k      N/A
mem (private working set) 121,600k   119,576k  -2,024k
commit size               135,576k   133,504k     -72k
paged pool                    396k       397k      +1k
np pool                        82k        81k      -1k
handles                        504        483      -21
threads                         34         31       -3
user objects                    40         44       +4
GDI objects                     71         75       +4

Here's a test of a single instance of Paint.NET in Windows 7 x64 with a few small images open. This app was written in Microsoft .NET unlike Firefox which is almost certainly C/C++.

type                 not minimised  minimised     diff
------------------------------------------------------
working set               125,904k   125,256k    -684k
peak working set          217,836k   217,836k      N/A
mem (private working set)  61,844k    61,844k       0k
commit size               102,388k   102,384k      -4k
paged pool                    542k       541k      -1k
np pool                        59k        59k       0k
handles                        741        741        0
threads                         19         19        0
user objects                   276        273       -3
GDI objects                    489        491       +2