windows 2003 server for gaming/workstation?

is win2003 server a good os for workstation apps (3ds, maya, etc) or am i better off with xp?
how about just regular desktop apps like ie and whatnot...

i heard that 2003 is not a very good gaming os either...is there any truth to this?/

There's no point in even considering paying for it unless you need it to be a server, end of story.

I've heard ppl say Win2k3 is a better OS for gaming, and others say it isn't...

from my experience, I saw no difference what-so-ever. It runs perfectly fine, but so does XP.

Have both, use both and personally I think Server 2003 is smoother /stable/cleaner if you will. I use it to do my multimedia work on. Most everything that works on XP will work on 2003 but things like NAV have to be the corp edition for servers and save for some defraggers. If I had to pick Id take Server 2003, however I wouldn't pick it if it meant I had to pay for it so basically just get Pro.

i was running server 2k3 on my laptop for a while, but i personally found (well only in vietcong) that it was throwing me out of the game at a certain point no matter what i did..

now i'm running xp sp2.. and i'm glad i changed... ie now has its own pop up blocking that actually works.. all my games are smooth, and i've had 0 problems with it.

Originally posted by Dracul
i was running server 2k3 on my laptop for a while, but i personally found (well only in vietcong) that it was throwing me out of the game at a certain point no matter what i did..

now i'm running xp sp2.. and i'm glad i changed... ie now has its own pop up blocking that actually works.. all my games are smooth, and i've had 0 problems with it.

I assume you are running the SP2 Beta?

And I'll agree with the first response posted: Don't get Server unless you need the server functions.

yeah its beta..

The name kind of tells you what it is for... Server means that it is an OS for server purposes, not gaming, workstation, etc. just use XP

I really don't see the point in using a server OS for workstation use. The OS is designed for server use and will have lots of things missing or disabled that servers don't usually need. You can of course get many of these things back but why bother? I don't believe it to be any more stable or faster than XP either. I have used both and find my XP installation to be just as fast, just as stable, and more compatible.

Unless your workstation needs something you can only get on server.. don't bother. I know a guy that runs win2kserver so he can run software raid5 (don't ask).

And if you want a speed boost in games... use 2k ! XP == 2k + bloat