Halfway thru: building system, 64bit XP or Vista?

Which operating system?

  • Stay with XP Pro 32-bit

    Votes: 6 15.8%

  • Switch to XP Pro 64-bit

    Votes: 1 2.6%

  • Move to Vista 64-bit

    Votes: 31 81.6%
  • Total voters
    38
K

KMK0420

Weaksauce
Joined
Dec 7, 2005
Messages
75
Okay so right now i'm on a silly Asus P5LD2, Pentium 4 @3.0, Nvidia 7800GT.

Read my question regarding the 64 bit issue below..............................

And being i decided to go on a spending binge, i decided to replace the essentials, plus a few other things..

replacing: motherboard, cpu/hs, memory, video card, case, power supply

possibly: sound card, new internal dvd-rw's or another internal hdd

anyway, i do a few things on my pc: myspace, music, gaming and some picture/video editing etc. i don't need to be tip top of the damn line when it comes to computers, but i think these essentials will suffice for the next 1.5-2 years:

(links are to newegg, i in no way represent that company. i've been using them for years and it's just easier for me to link to the parts im buying so people can analyze the specifications and it saves me from having to copy/paste everything here.)

Motherboard: Here

CPU: Here

Memory: Here

Vid Card: Here

So needless to say, not a bad system.

Now the next step - which operating system. I planned on using my current internal HDD and XP Pro (32bit) and just be cool. Now i'm hearing 64 bit is now recommended for gamers, faster computing, etc... now about vista... i work phone tech support for comcast cable (digital voice, broadband internet, video).... and i deal with Vista troubleshooting a lot... it's very pretty, but from what i've seen....and heard...i really would rather stick with XP.

But.... then comes the direct X 10 compatibility issue, shader model 4, etc for gaming.

Now, for what i want to do...game and run your normal programs like your winamps, limewires, firewalls, antiviruses, spyware scanners, music applications, etc... will moving to 64 bit cause a lot of problems with that for me?

So what should i do? Move to XP Pro X64 or should i go to Vista xxx X64?
 
As much as I hate to say it, Vista 64. You don't seem to be the type that upgrades or rebuilds all that often so the OS which is going to eventually become the standard would be better than the one that's on its way out. If you weren't purchasing an OS or 4 gig of RAM I would probably suggest sticking with your current copy of XP32 for the moment.

I personally wish that more people would go with a 64 bit OS as it would help out in regards to software and drivers for 64 bit. It's the future no matter how you want to look at it.

I've used XP64 and Vista64 and while I still prefer XP64 you would be better off with Vista64 for the previously mentioned reasons. I said to hell with all of it for the most part and just use openSUSE which treats me well and has good 64 bit support. Then again, I'm not paying $ for my OS so it doesn't really matter to me. If you're going to fork out some money, grab Vista 64 and whatever you do, don't even think about grabbing Vista32.

 
but see then i have this question:

i'm fairly good with building systems, but not the best..

couldnt i technically keep this internal HDD w/ win xp pro, buy a second internal and install vista to that, and just use vista normally, and for compatibility issues switch over to the xp hard drive?

i also have a 500 gig external by usb so i could store all my media on that so there's easy access on each OS?
 
OR here's even another idea...

go 32 bit vista, that way i get DX10 + SM4 support, but as far as driver/program incompatibility issues - none?
 
KMK0420 said:
OR here's even another idea...

go 32 bit vista, that way i get DX10 + SM4 support, but as far as driver/program incompatibility issues - none?
Click to expand...

32 Bit Vista won't handle all that ram. Go 64 bit. You still get DX10, shader model 4.0 and everything else but with the addition of a 64 bit OS all your ram will be recognised and used properly. There are no issues with 64bit Vista driver support anymore with the 8800GTX.
 
Vista x64, and run your XP license in a VM if need to run some kind of old, incompatible app.
 
KMK0420 said:
OR here's even another idea...

go 32 bit vista, that way i get DX10 + SM4 support, but as far as driver/program incompatibility issues - none?
Click to expand...

Driver and program incompatibility under Vista 64 is vastly overstated. That's not to say they don't exist, but they aren't as bad as all that.

For Driver's check here first:
http://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/

If you find drivers for all of your hardware then you will be fine.

Software problems are mostly limited to the fact that you won't be able to run 16bit software. That said, Keep in mind, the industry started phasing out 16bit software after Windows 95 was released. So, were talking really, really, really old software.

Any other software that is not 16bit and doesn't run under vista 64 probably won't run under Vista 32 either. That list is extremely short.
 
everything is over stated like the out of memory error in the middle of a game or when copying a lot of files. Or how Vista looses it graphics when it comes out of a game or just how slow it realy is. But you might as well get used to it because Microsoft forgot the customers and how to program code that works great and fast. It is going to be cramed down your #$^%*^% so get used to it.

Just get Vista 64 Ultimate and try to get used to it. I have had it for over a year and get very frustrated at it because the file management is awful and it is slo.:eek:
 
crewzen said:
everything is over stated like the out of memory error in the middle of a game or when copying a lot of files. Or how Vista looses it graphics when it comes out of a game or just how slow it realy is. But you might as well get used to it because Microsoft forgot the customers and how to program code that works great and fast. It is going to be cramed down your #$^%*^% so get used to it.

Just get Vista 64 Ultimate and try to get used to it. I have had it for over a year and get very frustrated at it because the file management is awful and it is slo.:eek:
Click to expand...

Team Fortress 2 has a memory error that will manifest itself if you don't install the hotfix (due to some kind of memory addressing limitation) -- however, there is a hotfix.

Hellgate: London v0.7, on certain nVidia driver revisions while playing in DX10 mode (but not the latest one, the latest time I tried), with an 8800 GTX card, will crash the driver from time to time -- however, it seems to be working OK now in v1.2.

Network transfers, while slow before SP1, are actually pretty decent now, and time calculations are speedy. Of course, you still have to install SP1 to get these benefits.

They're working on it.
 
crewzen said:
how slow it realy is.
Click to expand...
How slow do you really think it is? As I mentioned in another thread, I used a removable SATA drive cage to compare XP and Vista, and Vista isn't any slow than XP. Under a load, it's definitely more responsive.
 
it stinks because i love my xp system. havent had a BSOD or system error in YEARS.

i hate having to move to a crappy OS just for support with future games, faster (64 vs 32) computing, etc.

Looks like im screwed with 32 bit huh? :(
 
KMK0420 said:
i hate having to move to a crappy OS just for support with future games, faster (64 vs 32) computing, etc.
Click to expand...
Vista is hardly a crappy OS. Since you do tech support, you should be very well aware, that most issues are caused by users and not the system itself.

Take a look around at the people actually using Vista x64...those who have been using it for quite some time, and listen to what they have to say. I wouldn't tell just anyone to go to Vista. I have family members who I am leaving on XP just to minimize the questions I'll get. But anyone technical enough to do tech support for others, should have no problem running Vista x64 on a smooth, stable system. Save your "crappy" labels for something that truly deserves it.
 
DeaconFrost said:
Vista is hardly a crappy OS. Since you do tech support, you should be very well aware, that most issues are caused by users and not the system itself.

Take a look around at the people actually using Vista x64...those who have been using it for quite some time, and listen to what they have to say. I wouldn't tell just anyone to go to Vista. I have family members who I am leaving on XP just to minimize the questions I'll get. But anyone technical enough to do tech support for others, should have no problem running Vista x64 on a smooth, stable system. Save your "crappy" labels for something that truly deserves it.
Click to expand...

actually i do understand vista fairly well, and i'm not taking my analysis from people with the problems. i take them from magazine reviews, hardware testers and hardware test websites, product reviews from various retailers, etc.

i don't doubt that i couldn't make vista stable and work flawlessly, my main concerns were the compatibility with 64-bit and 32-bit programs, gaming, etc. i have heard the majority of bugs have been worked out and SP1 is on the way..
 
The majority of magazine reviews and the like are only spoon-feeding the reader old data. Vista had compatibility problems early on, but those are mostly resolved. SP1 is only going to enhance Vista at this point.
 
Run whatever you like best. 4GB of RAM on any of them is fine. Sure, you will only be able to use 3.25 on 32 bit, but 64 bit uses more memory, so you really won't gain much unless you are looking to go higher than 4GB. Even if you run 64 bit, your 32 bit applications can't use more than 2GB anyway, and 99% of your software will still be 32 bit. The only native 64 bit apps I could find when I tested it were NOD32, SmartFTP, and O&O Defrag. You likely wouldn't even use the 64 bit versions of IE or Media Player either to to lack of plugins/codecs. So at 4GB or less, 32 vs 64 bit is a matter of preference and/or compatibility. I would not recommend 64 bit XP at this point, if you go 64 bit go Vista. Once you disable UAC it's not too bad. Again, a matter of preference, some will say leave it on, I find it more annoying than a virus/malware so I turn it off. Ultimately, test the OS you think you want to use, if you like it keep it. If not, test something else until you are happy. You can't go wrong with any of them, if you choose the one that is right for you. Unless you hate Windows. :D
 
KMK0420 said:
actually i do understand vista fairly well, and i'm not taking my analysis from people with the problems. i take them from magazine reviews, hardware testers and hardware test websites, product reviews from various retailers, etc.

i don't doubt that i couldn't make vista stable and work flawlessly, my main concerns were the compatibility with 64-bit and 32-bit programs, gaming, etc. i have heard the majority of bugs have been worked out and SP1 is on the way..
Click to expand...

those are the ABSOLUTE WORST people to take advice from, apart from the posters on slashdot.


the people who post here i would trust more the mossberg or any other industry figure, most are fuckards, which is why they ended up with jobs that have no real substance whatsoever. journalism majors indeed.
 
If you want to keep XP32 and dual boot with Vista64 it will be fine. You won't need to buy another hard drive just to install it either. If you want to buy another hard drive I'm not gong to stop you. I with I could afford a couple more over and above the 2 500's I just got.

Anyway, just install XP32 as you normally would. Once that install is done, pop in the Vista64 disc and reboot installing that OS. It will load a bootloader so you can choose which OS you want to use at boot. Until you know Vista64 is going to work 100% for you this is probably the best solution.

 
appreciate the replies..

and im thinking of 8GB ram if i go 64 bit vista...

so, as an end user, what is the TRUE advantage of switching to vista, regardless of 32-bit or 64-bit?
 
I disagree with disabling UAC. It's annoying when you first set up the machine, but it's a better security model and I'm not constantly bothered by UAC prompts now that I've installed my software.
 
KMK0420 said:
appreciate the replies..

and im thinking of 8GB ram if i go 64 bit vista...

so, as an end user, what is the TRUE advantage of switching to vista, regardless of 32-bit or 64-bit?
Click to expand...

DX10 compatibility with proper hardware, ram cacheing, more secure and the advanced audio panel. I would list more but i'm really tired.
 
I've been running a dual boot of XP Pro (32bit) and Vista Home (64bit) for the last 10 or so months. I haven't been back into the XP partition in in 8+ months; I decided to give it a solid 30 days to fight through any problems/compatibility, my stupidity or otherwise.

After the 30 days I decided the few issues that were there, (some driver issues from Creative etc...), weren't woth going back into XP. The more time that came out the more hardware vendors etc decided to release drivers for their products, (printers have been the biggest pain in the ass thus far,) but now everything I have works and works well in Vista 64.

Unless you are running some older legacy games I wouldn't really worry about compatibility, I've run everything from the GTA series, to all source based games, to crysis/CoD4 etc... haven't run into any issues yet.

Vista 64 has been very stable and pretty snappy.
 
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