Need help choosing OS on low-end system

[framarti]

I'm upgrading my system from a pentium 2 266 to a duron 900. I'm just a high school student and that's all i can afford. It has 256 mb on ram and a tnt2 32 mb ( i will upgrade later in the year to a mx400 64 mb).

My question is if i must install windows xp or windows 98.
I want a bug-free xp system but i'm not sure if my system will run games at the same speed that windows 98 will. I want to know if the performance of win xp pro will be to poor on my system.

Thanks for your help
PD: I'm chilean and i don't speak english very well. Sorry for the bad grammar.

 

[Toejam31]

WinXP will be just fine on that system, especially after you upgrade the video card.

Note: The "sweet spot" for the memory is 512MB, but WinXP won't give you any problems with 256MB, unless you are planning on running a really high powered, memory-hungry application.

WinXP will run your games just as fast ... maybe even faster than Win98. The best results I've had when benchmarking a video card has been with WinXP.

Toejam31

<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Tantalizing Tantric Toy</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
____________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."</font color=purple>

 

[Stick_e_Mouse]

>> a bug-free xp system

Was that suppose to be a joke or something?
At any rate, Linux can be run on just about any system from a 486 to a high end AthlonXP and P4 machine.
BTW-it's also about 100 times more stable than any windoze system ever made.
My suggestion, DUAL boot--using 98 strickly for games, and everything else use Linux.

Check out Britney Spears' (o)(o) <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/stick_e_mouse" target="_new">hooters</A>!!!
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by sTiCk_E_mOuSe on 03/17/02 01:37 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[BrainStorm]

You'll probably want to go with Windows XP since it will be the next widely supported OS around. Far from me the idea of starting a flame war but I personnaly think that Windows XP is on par with Linux for stability and you'll don't have to dig as far for compatible software.

Sure you still can dual-boot with Linux if you want to make your mind.

It's better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick!<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by brainstorm on 03/17/02 11:55 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Rob423]

yes i agree, My XP professional is Very Stable, haven't had one single problem yet... Xp is probly your best choice..

Once you go AMD, You never Go back!!

 

[Zoron]

Well after about 6 posts, I do believe we have a Linux troll in our midst... heh.

You'll be happy with XP. I've been running it since RC2, and I have yet to have any major issues. I have a 1 GHz Athlon with an ATi Radeon 64MB VIVO... runs great. I've had this system up and running for a month straight without shutting down/rebooting and nary a crash. Don't use 98... you might as well get stability AND the ability to game all in one.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>