Vista or XP

[hamitaltintop22]

Hello,
My question is will vista work smoothly with my computer when gaming or should I stick with XP?

The specs are roughly: e5200, 2x2gb ddr2 800, 9600gso (AKA 8800gs), etc. As you can see it is a low end computer which means even if I get vista I will be running games like Crysis on DX9 instead of DX10. I think the memory would be enough but will the cpu be able to handle it? I know the 9600gso won't be able to handle DX10 in demanding games. So in those games I can just change the mode to DX9, right?

I just realized that there was a similar thread. I will read it but would appreciate if people would give me advice.

 

[notherdude]

Vista is perfect for gaming now. The FPS have equalized and the stability has too. A lot of time has passed since the early days when XP held a significant advantage in gaming. Some die hard XP dudes will tell you to go XP of course but those of us actually gaming on Vista will tell you otherwise.

Go Vista 64 if you want to use all 4 gig of ram. Vista 64 is quickly becoming the standard, see threads directly below.

 

[br3nd064]

+1 for vista x64. It's just as good in gaming as xp.

 

[hamitaltintop22]

Vista is perfect for gaming now. The FPS have equalized and the stability has too. A lot of time has passed since the early days when XP held a significant advantage in gaming. Some die hard XP dudes will tell you to go XP of course but those of us actually gaming on Vista will tell you otherwise.

Go Vista 64 if you want to use all 4 gig of ram. Vista 64 is quickly becoming the standard, see threads directly below.

1. So my e5200 will be able to handle Vista 64?
2. Am I right about switching between Dx9 and Dx10 in Vista?
3. Does Dx10 also tax the cpu along with the Gpu?

 

[br3nd064]

1) Yes
2) Yes, you'll see better performance on your card with DX9.
3) I don't know how much, but yes.

 

[hamitaltintop22]

Are you sure vista won't be a big burden (slightly more than xp) for my rig?

 

[notherdude]

1. So my e5200 will be able to handle Vista 64?
2. Am I right about switching between Dx9 and Dx10 in Vista?
3. Does Dx10 also tax the cpu along with the Gpu?

Using DX 10 is optional in Vista. Take Crysis for example, you can run the DX 9 ver. or the DX 10 ver. I use DX 9 since Crysis is such a bear. AFAIK you can do this in all games. After all you can still run DX 9 video cards in Vista too so games have to have this option.

Yes, your CPU is fine for Vista 32 and Vista 64! Vista is not nearly the system hog it is made out to be in the superficial, Apple biased, media coverage. That CPU is actually a great CPU, no problem there at all. Your motherboard must have support for 64 bit and 4 gigs or more of RAM. Not all do but most all 'homebuilt', enthusiast boards that would support a core two duo will. I suggest you look into that before you pull the trigger on a particular baord.

 

[hamitaltintop22]

I was thinking about the Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L. I think it should be fine.

 

[br3nd064]

Yeah, the Gigabyte P35 is fine.

 

[rasmasyean]

Windows Vista vs. XP

These are some of the features I like about Vista compared to XP.
• Major technology upgrade from XP (finally after 5 years…).
• Direct3D 10.
• SuperFetch makes my "free" RAM not go to waste (esp. with 64-bit).
• Persistent Defragger - No more need for defrag software.
• Backup Utility - No more need for other backup software.
• Instant Search Box all over the place (wish it were same “functionally” in IE though).
• “S3” Sleep (only using 2 watts and only takes like 5 seconds to resume)
• I like the fact that it asks me when things run so I can stop it.
• Windows Media Center.
• No need to download and update “Activesync”.
• Dictation with speech recognition sometimes faster than typing long stuff.
• Performance Monitor much improved over XP.
• Windows Presentation Foundation (I haven’t made anything yet myself, but it seems like a leap from the old days hehe).
• All other business and developer technologies seem so cool too but I guess they won’t be used much until more people migrate to Vista for developers to sell stuff to.
• Makes me feel safer with the security upgrades (esp. with 64-bit) at least, but it’s hard to tell what would it be like without it because I knew what I was doing with XP anyway and had updated protection software. But I guess it’s better for non-geeks.

 

[NH_USA]

Vista might be better for most of you but there are no drivers for some of the older equipment and some software dosen't run on it even in emulation mode.

I was forced to Vista a few weeks ago when my XP-Pro computer failed and am very unhappy. At least two of the pieces of equipment I used on a weekly basis are not suported and an "Electronics Parts Catalog" program for my Audi will not display correctly. ( the bottom and right side are cut off) Other software has required updates to run and some will not start or run on Vista.

The computer supplier says that they do not recomend going to XP because of driver compatability issues. So I'm screwed -- It looks as if I'll have to buy another computer that is XP-compatable so I can use the stuff I already own....

It is bad enough that Microsoft makes buggy stuff that needs weekly/daily updates - they then change things so you have to purchase all new hardware and programs.