should I install Vista or XP tomorrow?

[Krynn72]

Lets see some quotes.

Im not him, but I googled it anyways.

The following charts are from here: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2096940,00.asp

And the next charts are from here: http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMzNCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Test used 2gb, thats probably minimum for playing games on Vista. You'd want 3gb+ (4+ ideal) for real results. Also the test is nearly 2 years old.
Here's some recent ones (also 2gb ram).

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2302500,00.asp

 

[G(ordon)-man]

Yes, people seem to forget that SP1 fixed many bugs.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Yes, people seem to forget that SP1 fixed many bugs.

And with SP2 currently in public beta and due early next year, it's only going to further help out.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTU5MSwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

I realized I didn't source my DX10 vs DX9 benchmarks for FC2. They don't do a XP vs Vista comparison, however, you can see there is up to a 20% perf improvement in the DX10 version, which trumps the 10% supposed perf decreases that people say you get with XP -> Vista (+10% perf gain then if you ran it on Vista in DX10 if you think there's a 10% drop).

 

[DreamThrall]

Yeah guys, how about some numbers that *aren't* almost 2 years old?

 

[hool10]

Yeah those numbers are ancient. IMO it runs faster than XP, is more secure, and more user friendly. You also have a DX10 card so why don't you just use what you have?

 

[Krynn72]

Because most games dont use it either?

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Because most games dont use it either?

It's not an overnight process. Don't think of it like a console when a new platform comes out, everyone is going to flock to it. It's all about the changes it brings you, and how easily you can implement them.

I'll just say look at Crysis, Far Cry 2 and Company of Heroes expansion. Those are some big titles which support DX10. Yeah, there's like Hellgate London (almost dead now) and Alan Wake coming out eventually, but I'll only talk about current games.

Crysis Warhead further enhanced their DX10 pipeline. They get almost exactly the same framerates between DX9 and DX10, however you get superior image quality with the DX10 version.

Then, Far Cry 2 gives you superior performance (I think with similar image quality) in DX10.

DX10 is the way things going forward for DirectX. No way you can avoid that. If you're an engineer right now working on the rendering pipeline for a game to be released in 3 years, you bet your ass you are going to take a very big look at DX10 (and probably implement it, especially with Win7 on the future).

Even if a game doesn't use DX10 though, it's not like you're losing performance either, so it's win-win situation IMHO.

 

[Krynn72]

I know. Doesnt change the fact that most games dont use it and if he likes XP more than vista then DX10 isnt a good enough reason to go with vista. Plus Windows 7 will be out before most games start using it. In terms of choosing which OS, the direct x version shouldnt really come into account.

 

[G(ordon)-man]

It depends on whether he is a gamer or no.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

I definitely find the memory allocation to immediate processes a big advantage. I mean from entering my password it doesn't take 5 seconds to start firefox. If you've got the option for both with no extra charge, why not Vista? DX10's a bonus.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

I know. Doesnt change the fact that most games dont use it and if he likes XP more than vista then DX10 isnt a good enough reason to go with vista. Plus Windows 7 will be out before most games start using it. In terms of choosing which OS, the direct x version shouldnt really come into account.

Why shouldn't it? Especially if you are buildling a more long-term PC. If you are buying a DX10 card, why buy an OS that doesn't utilize it to its fullest?

After DX10 though, MS is going back to the old model, where versions are compatible with each other. When DX11 comes out next year, it will work on Vista and Win7.

Essentially I'm making the point that it's silly to install XP if you are a gamer who is buying some good hardware... XP is at the end of the line, and Vista is moving ahead.