Vista .... Or no?

[JrRacinFan]

Main question here is should I make the switch to Vista upon receiving approximately twice as much RAM now and a better motherboard?

If I should switch should I try out Vista X64 just for kicks?

PS: I did have it installed beforehand, if you all remember right it was an Asus HP mobo with 768MB Ram.

[Kursah]

That is really up to you dude. I really don't see a reason if it were me to go back, I got a version of SP3 that includes the Vista GUI and a new boot/windows load screen, plus XP SP3 feels faster and snappier than Vista ever did in my experiences with it (about 2/3 of 2007). But with more RAM you would be good to go that's for sure!

[Graogrim]

I'd be careful. Vista has a prettier interface, sure, but I'd hesitate to call it a real upgrade. It's more like a tradeoff.

The thing that really gives me pause is reports of the upgrade version of Vista "consuming" the key of the former OS, thereby making it problematic to revert if you decide you liked XP better.

Maybe someone with firsthand experience could chime in?

[Graogrim]

It occurs to me that Microsoft could make a killing with an "Aero Plus Pack" for XP. At fifty bucks a pop, they'd sell a bazillion, and it might help make up for Vista's lackluster sales.

[JrRacinFan]

@Kursah

SP3: Does it really make that much difference? Hmmmm ....

@Graogrim

Yeah, I have used it before and was able to do aero no problems. I did notice my overall gaming performance was reduced by 10-15% more than likely due to reduced ram, but it may be video card. I also will not be using an upgrade version of the installer and I don't mind doing complete formats.

I do know I better upgrade to at least an e1200.

[Kursah]

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

@Kursah

SP3: Does it really make that much difference? Hmmmm ....

To me, I've noticed boot-up is faster, multitasking is faster, switching between tasks, etc. It feels snappier with the SP3 update IMO, and after doing it I have no reason to downgrade to SP2 or go to Vista as I like to have a faster OS. As-far-as Games, really I didn't have much for bogging down in games before, but if anything there was no harm in this area. The plus is getting the SP3 version that will feature the Vista GUI (not full on Aero though...though it could happen), for those that like the looks of Vista with the performance of XP.

Again, I use the Zune Theme, but Vista looks from MS for XP could be a big hit!

[JrRacinFan]

Hmmm, ok you got me sold Kursah. When 4GB makes its way into my rig then comes Vista x64. Thanks again guys!

[Kursah]

Nice, I hope SP3 treats you as-well-as it has me (and my friends', families' PC's), I do enjoy the benefits of it and hope many others do the same. I'm sure Vista x64 won't dissapoint either!

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

I love Vista. Especially the x64 version. To me it *feels* cleaner than the 32bit version. Dont ask I have no idea.

Nevertheless, the 64-bit version does seem a bit snappier than the 32 bit version and I dont have any problems at all. Though I do think I have a hard drive going bad in my RAID 0 array. When opening certain apps, I get a BSOD for a NTFS.sys file. But thats for another thread.

I highly recommend it. I ran it fine on a single core. Just be sure to tweak the OS. Windows sidebar likes to use 100% of single cores. I always had to turn it off.

[ShadowFold]

XP SP3 didnt give me ANY performance gains. Did nothing really.

[erocker]

....or no.

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

This is why I dont like people creating Vista threads asking if they should make the jump because there are so many biased opinions. Its really up to you. IMO, you shouldnt listen to any of us. Just my $0.02.

[erocker]

Originally Posted by CrAsHnBuRnXp

This is why I dont like people creating Vista threads asking if they should make the jump because there are so many biased opinions. Its really up to you. IMO, you shouldnt listen to any of us. Just my $0.02.

I kinda agree. Use it, if you like it keep it, if not, go back to XP.

Just download an "evaluation" copy.

[Ben Clarke]

I'd say go for it if you want to. I'm going to... as soon as it arrives in whatever form I choose.

[Kursah]

Originally Posted by erocker

I kinda agree. Use it, if you like it keep it, if not, go back to XP.

Just download an "evaluation" copy.

That's totally the way to go! We can all suggest, but in the end it's gotta be you that decides. Results can very, and so can opinions, everyone has an answer basied on their experiences. But it doesn't hurt to try any of the suggestions or versions and see if they work out for ya!

[ShadowFold]

Whats an evaluation copy?

[Ben Clarke]

Pirated copy. People use the term "evalution" to make it sound legal.

[marsey99]

iv been using it for a while now and other than benchmark scores its not really any slower.

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Originally Posted by Kursah

That's totally the way to go! We can all suggest, but in the end it's gotta be you that decides. Results can very, and so can opinions, everyone has an answer basied on their experiences. But it doesn't hurt to try any of the suggestions or versions and see if they work out for ya!

Its what I did. Then I bought it like a month later. I basically just wanted to see if everything that worked in RC1 worked in RTM. (which it did)

[Kursah]

I was fortunate enough to get a copy from a co-worker that didn't like it. I liked it, but for my needs just wasn't what I wanted. I enjoyed the GUI and such, but really there was something that kept pulling me back to XP. But to each their own right?

It's tough to recommend or not recommend something like this since everyone's tastes are different and there's so much that can be done to OS's these days with add-ons, tweaks, themes, performance and such.

EDIT: Ben C. Also what build of SP3 did you get to try? I have tried 3244 and 3264, and both had improvements with 3264 being the most noticable for me.

[JrRacinFan]

Hmmmm .... So, I should try Vista x64 anyways .... Think i will dual boot and decide between the 2 after I get all my parts together.

Alot of points made in this thread that I just can't ignore thank you everyone!