Hey folks. I could really use some advice. I am making a new gaming computer. (And really, I am mostly using it for gaming and music). I have to purchase a new OS anyway, should I upgrade to Vista or Stick with XP. Is DX 10 the must have for future games?

If I go with Vista, What version should I get. Do I need Ultimate or will Home premium do?

If I do get Vista what prices are reasonable? Are there any downsides to OEM versions?

Thanks for the help.

XP, not close at all. That might change in the future, but at the present time, there's no reason at all to go with Vista for a gaming machine.

so why are so many people using it?

Marketing.


is it better for home theater stuff?

Nope.

Most people find the actual OS gui prettier, so there's that I suppose.

vista is more secure then xp its also way prettier just ask any 1 mostly gurls and they will say its so pretty

Depending on your hardware setup, your mileage may vary.

for now XP is better. but that will change as time goes on and better drivers are released. DX10 will probably be a must have in the future, but right now no games have it and the ones slated to have it won't come out until the end of the year, and even then they will still support dx9.

The only downside to OEM is that you don't get manuals, and also I don't think you get customer service. Otherwise it's the same exact software. If you are familiar with computers I'd go OEM as it's much much cheaper.

Thanks. That's good to know.

My newest laptop. Came with windows xp pro but had a free vista upgrade.

I like the way vista feels.

If your building a new system then I would recommend Vista Home Premium. Windows XP will play today's games better that stands to reason, but tomorrows games will be a different story specially when DX10 games go mainstream.

Windows XP will play today's games better that stands to reason, but tomorrows games will be a different story specially when DX10 games go mainstream.

When that actually happens there might be a reason to install Vista.

As Winrot is building a new PC I would recommend installing Vista. I have Vista installed on my laptop and current games are running fine. If I was to benchmark XP it would most likely come out on top for games, but the performance drop is not noticeable.

Wow. How many times do we need to keep answering this question? Its nearly daily here.

Ever think about reading the forums or at least glancing over the topics?

As Winrot is building a new PC I would recommend installing Vista. I have Vista installed on my laptop and current games are running fine. If I was to benchmark XP it would most likely come out on top for games, but the performance drop is not noticeable.

maybe not to you. "noticeable" is a relative term. Myself, I can notice a 10fps difference and 10ms difference in anything i play. Most people probably don't, but to say any performance drop is not "noticeable" assumes too much.

No matter what you decide, definately go oem.
XP:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116056

Vista:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116213

riiight.

it depends on what you're building. obviously if you are buying a 8800 dx10 graphics card, one that will last you a while, vista is an obvious must.

if you are buying a graphics card that doesnt support DX10, then there really isnt a point unless you want to upgrade your card now.

how much money are you spending, and when do you plan on buying a new pc to replace it?

I am spending about 1k. I actually am getting an 8800. And I plan it will last for another five years at the least.

basically i want it to be able to play all the current games very well and future games well.

I thought I did do a search. I was unable to find an answer. you have my apologies for wasting your time.

The help is much appreciated.

Thank you all for the help. I have decided I will go with xp for now. A few years down the road when DX10 is more normal and useful and the kinks are hammered out with vista i will likely upgrade. Thank you for the opinions. very useful.

hmm . . perhaps i will have to rethink it then. But I know i am putting out a lot of money (alot for me anyway) and likely will not be able to buy anew one in the future . . . baby . . . house . . etc. anyway. It might not be bleeding edge in 4-5 years but I hope it will atleast be respectable . . .

I don't have any idea what kind of system you can put together for $1000 that will possibly have enough cpu and memory to hang in there for 5 YEARS (e6300 + 2Gig may be good until shortly after crysis enters the fray?).

BUT for $112 the Vista Premium OEM (vs $140 for XP OEM) at least gives you DX10 and an OS that may still be around for 5 yrs. Also, I am assuming the OS price comes out of your $1k target so you really need to forget about a 'retail' purchases of anything.

A complete $1000 Vista-based game rig running an e6300, 8800GTS, and 2G memory is completely doable, and from newegg of all places (this is just for the box, I am assuming you have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse). You just shouldn't plan on much of anything being very competitive for more than a couple of years, three will be a stretch.

it depends on what you're building. obviously if you are buying a 8800 dx10 graphics card, one that will last you a while, vista is an obvious must.

No.

When there is software that shows an actual improvement using DX10 then it'll be worth it to upgrade. Until then there's just no point. The only valid argument for going Vista now is that it might cost you more in the long run to have to buy it later to upgrade when there's an actual reason to. Not really terribly compelling though at the moment.

Hi there Winrot,

You may have read a number of articles about Vista VS. XP. Your post stirred some thought in my mind about the 32 bit vs. 64 bit issue which would likely play a hand in OS selection even if it's a minor influence, the knowledge is good to have for future lookout. After following a small trail of articles, this one, an article by Paul Thurrott, was very helpful for me.

I am attempting, against my instinct and impatience, to bide my time and soak some info in that will aid me in putting together an efficient gaming puter. I've heard a number of not so grand things about Vista and this article gave much clarity to why there is such a buzz. I hope it helps =)

-Josiah