Which Operating System should I buy?

[burnselk]

I'm assembling my very first computer (AMD 64 X2 3800 CPU) and I'd like your input on which OS I should buy, XP or Vista.

I'm used to using XP Home but don't know the first thing about Vista, so I was hoping that someone might help me decide. When buying OS's, what do you base your decisions on?

I appreciate your input.

[FishTank]

xp hands down.

you dont really provide enough information (hardly any), so its
impossible to advise you propperly, but xp is the better OS at
this point. it uses less resources and vista still has to many
driver related issues. even if you want vista because of dx10
and its shiny visual poop, you'd be better off waiting for SP1.

do some research and come to your own conclusion :)

[setarip_old]

@burnselk

Hi!

Are you sure that XP is still available to be purchased?

[jeffy]

@burnselk

Hi!

Are you sure that XP is still available to be purchased?

Why not?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16837116195
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116059

[Doom9]

While MS is trying to squash it, there's a lot of people not quite willing to migrate so they have to keep it available (just recently I read something about easier downgrades from Vista). Support wise, XP will be supported for many years. So unless you absolutely need DirectX or the eyecandy, I'd go for XP.

[jeffy]

While MS is trying to squash it, there's a lot of people not quite willing to migrate so they have to keep it available (just recently I read something about easier downgrades from Vista). Support wise, XP will be supported for many years. So unless you absolutely need DirectX or the eyecandy, I'd go for XP.

Unfortunately, it seems the time is ticking out:
Microsoft will stop selling Windows XP to PC makers such as Dell, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard by January 31, a company representative confirmed Thursday. The software maker will stop selling XP to system builders, the smaller custom PC makers, a year later, the representative said.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-6175735-7.html

[Doom9]

Here's the Microsoft statement about the recent changes in downgrade procedures for all OEMS (http://www1.microsoft.at/includes/Image.aspx?type=1&dl&ID=18563) . So if you buy a computer with Vista and have an XP CD around, you can install it and they'll let you activate XP again if you have a valid Vista license.
I'm not sure though what happens if you don't happen to have a valid XP license.

[deets]

hmm. well depends what you want to use it for :)

I have a test machine which i recently installed vista 64 bit on for 65 quid (darn US laptop no english pound sign!).

IF you check everything in advance to make sure you have drivers AND you get at least 2gb of RAM AND the cost isnt that much more AND you dont mind the lack of h.264 support in 64 bit :P then i would say go for vista 64 :D

I use XP and vista every day and XP does far better on lower specs (we knew that) but i had to get a new OS and as vista 64 was only a little more than XP i thought i might as well go for it :)

ps. if you want the best bit of vista on XP download the bubbles screensaver :P