XP 64-bit worth the trouble?

[Just_An_Engineer]

I'm going to be building a new system in a few weeks and I am debating as to whether I should install XP-64 as the OS or (shudder) finally buy Vista. When I built my last computer a few years ago I bought a student copy of Windows XP Pro that came with both the 32-bit version and the 64-bit version (different CD's / keys). At the time there were no 64-bit drivers available for some of my hardware so I just used 32-bit XP and the 64-bit version has been sitting on my shelf unused ever since.

Now it appears that the driver situation with regards to XP-64 is much better although I have heard that there are still some issues with certain hardware and programs. Can anyone give me some pros and cons for using XP-64?

Thanks.

 

[amdfangirl]

Yes, not many hardware companies have made XP-64 drivers as it is uncommon and incompatible with Vista. You are better off with either Windows XP 32 or Vista 64. I mean like you can try to use XP-64...

 

[Just_An_Engineer]

Yes, not many hardware companies have made XP-64 drivers as it is uncommon and incompatible with Vista. You are better off with either Windows XP 32 or Vista 64. I mean like you can try to use XP-64...

That's pretty much what stopped me from using it in the first place, but It looks like there is currently driver support for all of the hardware I will be using. I'm mostly concerned about software that would run fine on XP-32 not running properly on XP-64. I have heard of this happening in some instances but I don't really know how widespread the issue is.

I know for a fact that several of the programs I am currently using will not work with Vista, which is one of the reasons I'm hesitant to upgrade. However, if I'm going to face a similar incompatibility problem with XP-64 then I guess I might as well bite the bullet and buy a copy of the broken OS.

 

[amdfangirl]

Software will mostly work. Yes, even the 32bit ones. There may be a few exceptions but it should work.

 

[Zoron]

Vista is far from "broken". A lot of misconceptions are still flying around... which really amazes me. Yes, incompatibilities do exist, but they existed in XP as well. Before SP1 and driver updates, Vista did indeed lag behind XP in a lot of areas. This is all from a year + ago... I guess people are content to listen to "Vista sucks" without requesting fully up-to-date information.

Support for XP-64 has improved since Vista was released... but for 64-bit I still prefer Vista. 32-bit software should run without any issue on both.