New system, XP or Vista? And 32 or 64 bit?

[Zmaz]

Ok, I'm building a new system, 4 GB RAM and a Phantom II 940 BE proc. Should I go with Vista or XP? Has SP1 cleared up most of the issues with Vista, or is it still slow? And what's the compatibility situation like with Vista now, can you run most games from the past few years?

Next, is it time to go with a 64-bit OS? I know there'd obviously be the benefit of being able to use the full 4 gigs of RAM, but are there 64-bit versions of most programs out there nowadays, or is it better to stick with 32? Can you run 32 bit programs on a 64 bit OS?

I'm planning to use my system for gaming, but also for schoolwork and media playback.

 

[Atomic Rooster]

I just recently moved up to Vista from XP Pro SP1. I'm liking it so far. I haven't seen any drop off in performance in the few games I have loaded up. Most any newer game from the past few years should work fine in Vista. The thing I like is running DX10 enabled games. They look real purty. . .

Many 32-bit programs will work fine in a 64-bit environment. There are some 32-bit proggies that use embedded drivers that may have problems though.

 

[worshipme]

Next, is it time to go with a 64-bit OS? I know there'd obviously be the benefit of being able to use the full 4 gigs of RAM, but are there 64-bit versions of most programs out there nowadays, or is it better to stick with 32? Can you run 32 bit programs on a 64 bit OS?

I've personally run in to zero problems. Just make sure that your printer, wireless adapter etc has drivers for Vista 64 bit.

 

[Zmaz]

Hmm. Are there any specific programs that wouldn't run on 64-bit? And do 32-bit programs run more slowly on 64-bit?

How much are the performance gains from 32-bit to 64-bit, are they significant or not really noticeable?

 

[worshipme]

Hmm. Are there any specific programs that wouldn't run on 64-bit? And do 32-bit programs run more slowly on 64-bit?

Not that I know of, I haven't run into any problems anyway. And no to the second question.

How much are the performance gains from 32-bit to 64-bit, are they significant or not really noticeable?

It depends whether the app demands more RAM than a 32bit OS can address, and a lot of demanding future apps might well run faster on 64 bit.

 

[Tommy Boy]

Hmm. Are there any specific programs that wouldn't run on 64-bit? And do 32-bit programs run more slowly on 64-bit?

If something has problems running in Vista, you can always run it in XP SP2 compatibility mode.

Go with Vista Ultimate 64-bit, you'll be glad you did.

 

[PokerDegenerate]

Yeah I gotta agree with all the posters here... Vista 64 bit is the way to go and like worship said make sure that all your hardware that your not buying now has 64 bit drivers...Most of the newer stuff has 64 bit drivers available....