building new system, which os?

[mpavao81]

Im going to be building a new system for myself at the end of this month/early april. I pretty much set on the hardware that im going to get(I think). Now what OS should i use/ XP/XP 64/Vista/vista 64.........linux
And i use my system avbout 40% for gaming/40% encoding videos/video editing/burning movies/photoshop/ and about 20% is just farting around on the internet. Myself i tried windows xp 64 when it first came out and to me it was buggy as hell and driver support, well just wasnt there. So its been a few years now, is 64 bit better now? Or does it still have driver problems.

The system specs for what i plan on putting together:
EVGA 780i http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3523225&CatId=2014
Q9550 http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=7211
Zalman CNPS9700 http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=5452
OCZ 4Gb PC2-6400 DDR2 Dual Channel Reaper CL4 HPC Edition http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=6778
OCZ ModXStream Power 780W http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=6970
BFG Tech GeForce 8800GTX OC2 http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=6000

and other items im reusing from my current system:
74GB Raptor SATA
150gb raptor SATA
400gb Seagate SATA
60gb Segate IDE(only used this drive because windows wouldnt see the sata drives in a fresh install)
Audigy 2 platinum(probably upgrade to new X-FI card for christmas,)
16x Plextor Dual layer burner (IDE)
16x LG litescribe dual layer (IDE)

 

[arkadi]

Well I am working with Vista 64 for some time now, and for now I can gain only form some extra ram. The meager downside is the drivers, if you will chose to run Vista 64 on you system, make sure you can find drivers for your scanner, printer, webcam, etc.. on the other hand most of 32bit software runs well. But if you want to stay on a safe side, stick with vista 32bit.

 

[rabidtech]

OpenSuse 10.3 .....

It's free for the download!

Will install in 64 bit mode if your machine is capable (it is BTW....)

 

[arkadi]

linux is nice, but suse? any way video editing and games not linux strong side..hmm

 

[mpavao81]

OpenSuse 10.3 .....

It's free for the download!

Will install in 64 bit mode if your machine is capable (it is BTW....)

yea only problem there is gaming lol, im going to want to play crysis/bioshock/medal of honor airborne/stuff like that. And i do alot of video encoding/editing(why im going quad)

 

[aevm]

I think Vista 64 would be best, now that the service pack is ready. XP 32 may be a little better for games, but it will only see 3.25 GB of RAM with that video card (I am using a BFG 8800GTX OC2 myself, on XP 32). Also, with Vista you are guaranteed security patches for several years, with XP you aren't.

 

[Shadow703793]

XP or Vista x64. I personally prefer XP over Vista but its up to you.

 

[Shadow703793]

linux is nice, but suse? any way video editing and games not linux strong side..hmm

You could dual boot XP or Vista and Linux. Use Linux for every day work (ie web surfing) and Windows for gaming. A 20Gb partition for Linux is fine. But be careful installing Linux and Windows, you could run into boot loader problems esp. with GRUB.

 

[mpavao81]

oh dam i have over 200gb of movies on my seagate drive, and business files. Will i be able to still acess these movies when i put together my new system?

I never installed a OS on that drive or any software for that matter i just formated it and dragged and dropped movies to it.

 

[rwpritchett]

Yes, you will have access to all of your files on the drive as long as you don't manually delete the files, format or repartition the drive.

If you want to feel safe, unplug the drive until you get things up and running with the new OS install. Then plug the drive in and you will be able to access your files.

 

[sailer]

When building an all new computer, I'd recommend either Vista 64 or XP64. Though I have no great love of Vista compared to XP, I'm realistic enough to recognize it as the future, as least for the next few years. New games, apps, etc will be going that direction. At some time, DX11 will come out and that will place XP in an even worse position than it is now when considering games. Now that SP1 is coming out for Vista, I see little reason to avoid Vista any longer.

As for a 64 bit verses 32 bit OS, 64 bit wins hands down. Sure, it has a couple weak spots, but more than makes up for it. It is the only way to use 4 gig or higher or ram. Again, it is the path of the future, not the past.

 

[tonyp12]

Get: Vista - Home - Premium - Upgrade - Retail
for around $85.

Costco have for that price.
Staples have it for $99 but it's easy to find $10 or $20 off coupon.

Just do the http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...stall-windows-vista-with-upgrade-license-dvd/

As it does not simple let you insert your old XP disc to prove upgrade.

And unlike the OEM version, this serial number can be re-used when you upgrade your computer with a new montherboard etc.


After you have installed it, read this:
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2181867,00.asp

 

[ImajorI]

Here we go again. Vista 64 Ultimate with 4+ gigs (Looks around for Jack Nayler PE)

 

[mpavao81]

Here we go again. Vista 64 Ultimate with 4+ gigs (Looks around for Jack Nayler PE)

im not concerned about the 64bit system using more memory(not an issue) concerned about stabilty.

 

[aevm]

Then get Windows XP 32-bit. The bugs in that have been pretty much fixed by now.

 

[mpavao81]

Then get Windows XP 32-bit. The bugs in that have been pretty much fixed by now.

Can you play dx10 games in xp though?

 

[aevm]

No, you can't play DX10 on XP. Most new games will support DX9 as well as DX10 for a very long time IMO, so they will work on XP, but the eye candy will be less impressive. FSX and Crysis are good examples where it makes a difference. In Bioshock you can't notice much difference, apparently. I don't know, I haven't played it.

If you want dx10 you have to get Vista. If you get Vista you might as well make it the 64-bit version because all drivers are required to pass testing on both 32-bit and 64-bit to be certified, so the stability should be the same.

Which Vista version:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx
Take a look at those features and see which version is best for you.