Windows 7 or XP

Oddw1re · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:08

Im going to be formatting soon and I don't know whether to put Windows XP back on or install Windows 7 instead.
I use my pc for gaming mostly.
Any help is appreciated.

Totality · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:14

Windows 7 has a free 90-day trial of the Enterprise version available. This is the final release RTM so will let you see exactly what you get with Windows 7.

Install it and see what you think personally. Some people like it, others don't. I've been using it since January for gaming, etc and it has been fine. Runs much better than Vista on old kit.

Here's the link to the trial:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/cc442495.aspx?ITPID=sprblog

bledd · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:14

pc spec?

dual core (or more)
2gb (or more)

Windows 7.

Oddw1re · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:20

Spec is:
Intel E6750 2.66GHz (Dual Core)
2GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT

Dark_Angel · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:24

Oddw1re said:
Spec is:
Intel E6750 2.66GHz (Dual Core)
2GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT

Say hi to Windows 7 64 bit then.

bledd · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:25

yup

and consider an upgrade to 4gb, a nice boost in performance

(cheap too)

Oddw1re · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:35

I thought it was hard to get drivers for 64 bit

bledd · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:36

7 years ago, yes

Oddw1re · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:52

bledd. said:
7 years ago, yes

Lol
That shows I haven't look at 64 bit in a while

something daft already!! · 14 Sep 2009 at 13:58

XP and VIsta perform better in gaming than W7 so if its gaming you use it for go for XP. At least until either the OS matures or the drivers do. My guess is it wont get much better than it is now.

Fire Wizard · 14 Sep 2009 at 14:03

howiepoohs said:
XP and VIsta perform better in gaming than W7 so if its gaming you use it for go for XP. At least until either the OS matures or the drivers do. My guess is it wont get much better than it is now.

Would you care to share a source for what you have said above please?

Dark_Angel · 14 Sep 2009 at 14:05

howiepoohs said:
XP and VIsta perform better in gaming than W7 so if its gaming you use it for go for XP. At least until either the OS matures or the drivers do. My guess is it wont get much better than it is now.

Fire Wizard said:
Would you care to share a source for what you have said above please?

Oh god no.

Seriously though, Windows 7 64 bit + upgrade to 4GB of ram.

W7 is easily the best version of windows I have ever used and even the little features grow on you really fast.

something daft already!! · 14 Sep 2009 at 14:06

Fire Wizard said:
Would you care to share a source for what you have said above please?

Certainly, my Tri boot (Vista, XP and Windows 7), fraps, 3dmark 06 and Vantage.

Vantage for example Windows 7 8764 and Vista 9456. Same driver versions.

Don't get me wrong, I use Windows 7 as my main OS and love it, but I only play a couple of games and mainly use it for work and media playback.

An 18 month install of Vista out performed in gaming benchmarks than a fresh install on Windows 7.

V_R · 14 Sep 2009 at 14:13

Im a heavy gamer, i found that 3D audio is better in XP, (Due to the way MS changed the audio in Vista/7) that said, i still prefer 7.

If only i could get the same accurate audio in 7 then i'd be more than happy.

This is with a Creative X-FI Xtreme Music btw.

Fire Wizard · 14 Sep 2009 at 14:15

howiepoohs said:
*Snip*

How long ago did you do this testing out of interest? And have you got any examples of the exact performance difference between each of the three operating systems? Beside that though, from my research and the general opinion on Windows 7, it would seem that you're in the very small minority in which you're finding Windows XP and Windows Vista to be performing a lot better than Windows 7.

Tripnologist · 14 Sep 2009 at 14:15

howiepoohs said:
An 18 month install of Vista out performed in gaming benchmarks than a fresh install on Windows 7.

and how long ago did you test this?

http://www.driverheaven.net/articles.php?articleid=137&pageid=10 said:
"Throughout our testing the Windows 7 build was able to outperform XP running on the same hardware. In some cases such as Left 4 Dead the performance difference was quite small however in more demanding scenarios such as World In Conflict the increase was much more noticeable. Windows 7 also performed favourably when compared to Vista although it would be hard to tell the difference when actually playing."

something daft already!! · 14 Sep 2009 at 14:54

Fire Wizard said:
How long ago did you do this testing out of interest? And have you got any examples of the exact performance difference between each of the three operating systems? Beside that though, from my research and the general opinion on Windows 7, it would seem that you're in the very small minority in which you're finding Windows XP and Windows Vista to be performing a lot better than Windows 7.

Thursday or friday last week. I did not say a lot better, just a bit better. It may be due to drivers or unoptimised OS but I doubt it. I am more than happy to lose the odd fps and use Windows 7 though.

_Jimlad_ · 14 Sep 2009 at 15:02

i find it strange that anyone formatting or buying a new pc would consider placing windows xp (as great as it is) on in a machine that is happy running windows7, its proved to be stable and like it or not its the future.

with your spec i would cram some more ram in and get windows7 on

MikeHunt79 · 14 Sep 2009 at 15:10

howiepoohs said:
XP and VIsta perform better in gaming than W7 so if its gaming you use it for go for XP. At least until either the OS matures or the drivers do. My guess is it wont get much better than it is now.

Post of the day - Sigged!

Oddw1re · 14 Sep 2009 at 15:10

If I install Windows 7 64 bit will it run ok until I get the extra RAM