XP 32-bit vs 64-bit for gaming

[Red_Machine]

I'm in the process of building an XP-era machine for a bit of semi-retro gaming. I'm considering 64-bit because it will make better use of the dual-core CPU, but I just wanted some opinions from you guys. I've done a bit of research, and the general consensus seemed to be that XP64 was okay for gaming, provided you could get drivers for your hardware. That doesn't appear to be an issue for me, as all the hardware I intend to put in it has appropriate drivers.

I was an XP64 user myself back in 2009 for a while, and the only problem I encountered was some software incompatibility, but from what I recall that was primarily due to "flags" being set by the developer into the installer when it would actually run fine if you extracted the program files yourself. Anyone here have any thoughts on the matter?

 

[jboydgolfer]

couldnt you just install windows 7? wouldnt it be just as compatible with all the games that would run on XP? or even if compatability mode was used if not by default? or do you need it to be XP?

i used XP for years , from its release to well past win 7's launch, it was IMO the best OS, followed closely by Win 7 , but I feel like your limiting yourself by running an XP build. unless stricktly for the novelty of the old OS.in which case, disregard my comment.

 

[Red_Machine]

It's really not. I can name two games off the top of my head that straight up don't work on Windows 7, and I won't get full use of my Sound Blaster card with it because Microsoft deprecated DirectSound when Vista came out. I might dual-boot it with 7, but I really do need XP as the primary OS.

 

[jboydgolfer]

It's really not. I can name two games off the top of my head that straight up don't work on Windows 7, and I won't get full use of my Sound Blaster card with it because Microsoft deprecated DirectSound when Vista came out. I might dual-boot it with 7, but I really do need XP as the primary OS.

oh im Sure some games dont work on Win 7, but XP has Such a tiny footprint , You could run a VM with XP installed, and have all the novelty, and functionality of XP, on a Win 7 PC, is that an option? Dual boot Could be good too, but I would go VM first, unless there is a reason VM wouldnt work for You.

i just want to make it clear that im not trying to dissuade you from your goal, Im just offering up my opinion as you requested...So please, dont take what i offer as discouragement, i am just possibly ignorant to your end goal.

 

[Red_Machine]

I already use a VM with XP installed for some games, I just like having something physical to play around with.

 

[qubit]

If you intend building a retro machine, then definitely install XP 32-bit as the frame rates are higher, something like 30% or so which is really important with a slower GPU and CPU. This is especially true when compared to Vista and 7, but not quite as much with XP 64-bit. I've not compared with 8.1 or 10 but from various reviews I've seen they perform about the same as Vista and 7.

People didn't believe me when I reported my personal benchmark results on TPU a few years ago, but it's absolutely true. I think this significant overhead is what the fuss over Mantle and DX12 is all about, as they redress the balance by reducing it significantly and thus improving framerate.

Note that a VM will kill gaming graphics performance, so you're right to want to run it on dedicated hardware.

Finally, of course you won't be able to run the latest AAA games on it, but they're not compatible with XP anyway so that doesn't matter.

 

[Red_Machine]

If you intend building a retro machine, then definitely install XP 32-bit as the frame rates are higher, something like 30% or so which is really important with a slower GPU and CPU.

Is this vs XP64, or 7/8/10?

 

[newtekie1]

XP 32-bit for sure. A lot of retro games, especially DOS based ones, still use 16-bit code which XP 64-bit can't run.

 

[jboydgolfer]

I already use a VM with XP installed for some games, I just like having something physical to play around with.

cool, alrighty man, best of luck with your endeavor.

 

[Frick]

Which games don't run on 7? I think I've got most of my old games working on 7, and I have a lot of them. For DOS, DosBOX.

 

[qubit]

Is this vs XP64, or 7/8/10?

It's faster than all of them, but the difference is less compared to XP 64-bit. I did say that in the previous post, but maybe the wording wasn't clear.

XP 32-bit for sure. A lot of retro games, especially DOS based ones, still use 16-bit code which XP 64-bit can't run.

Good point, I'd forgotten about that.

 

[Red_Machine]

Which games don't run on 7? I think I've got most of my old games working on 7, and I have a lot of them. For DOS, DosBOX.

Off the top of my head:

Galactic Civilizations
Master of Orion 2
Strange Adventures in Infinite Space

 

[Frick]

Off the top of my head:

Galactic Civilizations
Master of Orion 2
Strange Adventures in Infinite Space

You tried killing explorer.exe? And if the colors are screwed, open the Display properties thing and leave it open.

 

[Red_Machine]

I tried those around the time, but they never worked. GalCiv just crashes on launch, it refuses to run on anything newer than Vista.

 

[Frick]

I have a distinct memory of running GalCiv and MoO2 on Windows 7 though... Doesn't matter though, dedicated retroboxes are fine things.