Gaming and Windows Vista OS

[bgdave1]

I am currently running XP Home for an OS and I enjoy gaming. I just wonder if it would be a good idea to upgrade my OS to Vista, or will I be inviting problems?

[BuffaloChips]

I would say that if you aren't worried about some of the newer games that REQUIRE DX10, stick with XP for now.

[GMtm]

Hmmm well if you have a PC with 2GB or more of RAM and a nice GFX card then why not give it a try. Be sure to make an effort to backup all your necessary/important files to external storage beforehand.

Tell us your specs and we can advise a bit better.

[Richard_Rahl]

Originally Posted by GMtm

Hmmm well if you have a PC with 2GB or more of RAM and a nice GFX card then why not give it a try. Be sure to make an effort to backup all your necessary/important files to external storage beforehand.

Tell us your specs and we can advise a bit better.

Gaming on a Vista system is only possible (afaik) if you got 2 Gb of RAM (like GMtm already said), a Core 2 Duo (preferably a C2 Quad) with a decent FSB, and at least a 512 Mb GF 8600 or Radeon HD 3850.
I experienced that a Turion X2 is barely sufficient, and a 256Mb GeForce 8400 is only enough to let a game like Medieval 2 Total War run on graphics somewhere between low and medium (and only if I clean-up and defragment that system regularly).

As long as you don't "need" DirectX 10, I would stick to Windows XP.

[Balmoung]

yeah i had a friend do the same thing went to vista for gaming, didnt have no more then a gig ram and vista sucked up everything lol, i prefer windows XP since it doesnt take up as many resources as vista, yeah vista may look nice but it takes the toll out on ya lol,

[Slaymate]

Tell us your System Spec's !!!

[bgdave1]

Intel Quad Core Kentsfield 2.4Ghz Q6600 CPU, EVGA nforce 780i SLI Socket 775, OCZ SLI 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz, XFX Alpha Dog Edition 8800GTS (G92) 512, 74 Gig Raptor, 150 Gig Maxtor, COOLER MASTER RS-600-ASAA ATX Form Factor 12V V2.2 / SSI standard EPS 12V V2.91 600 Watts Continuous Power Supply, LITE-ON 20x DVDRW SATA Litescribe, Thermaltake Big Typhoon CPU cooler.

[Richard_Rahl]

Originally Posted by bgdave1

Intel Quad Core Kentsfield 2.4Ghz Q6600 CPU, EVGA nforce 780i SLI Socket 775, OCZ SLI 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz, XFX Alpha Dog Edition 8800GTS (G92) 512, 74 Gig Raptor, 150 Gig Maxtor, COOLER MASTER RS-600-ASAA ATX Form Factor 12V V2.2 / SSI standard EPS 12V V2.91 600 Watts Continuous Power Supply, LITE-ON 20x DVDRW SATA Litescribe, Thermaltake Big Typhoon CPU cooler.

Afaik, you can upgrade to Vista and still use that pc for games. However, there are some objections:

1. Bad interface. Things that were sufficiently done in XP are a maze now.
2. After the installation, programs like CCleaner will probably find several GBs of unnecessary temporary files, and a list of unnecessary registry items able to fill a A4 sheet of paper.
3. Very expensive, and one of the worst OSses ever made.

So you realy have to think carefully about upgrading, and weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.

Note: "Afaik" means "as far as I know".

[BuffaloChips]

Well, then there is the talk that Vista will only last to the end of next year, maybe. That was one of the first things I read about shortly after the introduction of Vista was that it was only expected to have a 2 year life span.

[Richard_Rahl]

Originally Posted by BuffaloChips

Well, then there is the talk that Vista will only last to the end of next year, maybe. That was one of the first things I read about shortly after the introduction of Vista was that it was only expected to have a 2 year life span.

Yeah, but do not expect to be able to play XP/Vista games on what is currently being called "Windows 7", because it will get a new kernel.