Gaming PC, 4gb memory, Windows Vista Business x64?

[Punkrulz]

Hey guys,

I have a copy for Vista Business edition. My rest of my computer parts will be here on Wednesday, and I'm thinking about the OS that I want to put on it. I wish I could afford Vista Ultimate, but I can't. It's either going to be Windows Vista Business (32bit or 64bit), or Windows XP.

Here are my system specs:

Case: CM Stacker 590 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152) ($59.99)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359) ($119.99)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037) ($164.99)
HSF: Xigmatek S1283 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003) + Retention (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019) ($45.48)
Memory: G-Skill 2x2gb DDR2-1000 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145) ($49.99)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling S75CF (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011) ($109.99)
Video Card: EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GTX260 216 Cores (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434) ($269.99)
Hard Drive: Western Digital SE16 640gb SATA (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218) ($74.99)
CDRom: Samsung 22x DVDRW w/ LS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173) ($29.99)

What are your thoughts about Vista Business?
Will x64 work fine on this system setup? Right now I primarily intend on playing WoW, with GTA4 and CoD in the near future.
Are there any caveats that I need to worry about with setting up a 64 bit system?
Will 32 bit applications such as MS office and such work fine?

[silent-circuit]

Yes, Vista Business x64 would be a great choice for that system and your goals. I assume you can get it through work or school for free or deeply discounted? If not, I'd strongly recommend running Windows 7 beta 1 until it's released and not putting any money in to Vista. I love Vista, but it seems foolish to spend money on it now if it can be avoided, considering how soon it will be replaced.

Ultimate has very little on Business. Look for a comparison chart of the various edition features if you're still concerned. I seriously doubt you'll miss Microsoft DreamScene or the poor quality Texas Holdem' game that much. ;)

If you're using pre-SP1 media install the OS and patch to current with only 1 stick of RAM installed, then once you have SP1 and everything via Windows Update, install the second stick of RAM. There is a known bug with the pre-SP1 64bit installers where they will crash with more than 2GB of RAM installed. It's a minor quirk, but a good thing to know about going in.

[heatlesssun]

The main diffrence between Business and Ultimate is Media Center. You'll be fine for gaming.

[devil22]

Yes, Vista Business x64 would be a great choice for that system and your goals. I assume you can get it through work or school for free or deeply discounted? If not, I'd strongly recommend running Windows 7 beta 1 until it's released and not putting any money in to Vista. I love Vista, but it seems foolish to spend money on it now if it can be avoided, considering how soon it will be replaced.

Ultimate has very little on Business. Look for a comparison chart of the various edition features if you're still concerned. I seriously doubt you'll miss Microsoft DreamScene or the poor quality Texas Holdem' game that much. ;)

If you're using pre-SP1 media install the OS and patch to current with only 1 stick of RAM installed, then once you have SP1 and everything via Windows Update, install the second stick of RAM. There is a known bug with the pre-SP1 64bit installers where they will crash with more than 2GB of RAM installed. It's a minor quirk, but a good thing to know about going in.

Vista x64 RTM Installed fine on two systems of mine that had 6GBs of RAM, a X6800 Core 2 i975XBX system and my current Core i7 965 Asus P6T Deluxe. I think, but am not sure, that the bug you're referring to only happened on some nvidia chipsets.

[bigdogchris]

My main system is on Business x64. It's great. I don't see what the desire for Ultimate is. It's not worth $200 more.

[Punkrulz]

Thanks guys, yeah I am able to get it through work so I figured I would give it a shot. Thank you for confirming that it would be a good choice. For some reason I just assumed that since it's for business, it wouldn't be so great for home use. ;) Don't judge a book by it's cover!

[DeaconFrost]

It's the same concept as XP was. There was no gaming difference, in terms of performance, between XP Home and XP Pro. Vista is Vista is Vista. It just depends on a few added or removed features that have nothing to do with performance.

[mknlb50]

Go for XP. Don't waste your time and money on Vista.