what version of windows for gaming

[iSaygoodbye]

So either tomorrow or in a few weeks ill be getting a new imac.Which version of windows should i install with boot camp for gaming? XP,Vista,or 7? thanks

[MacHipster]

So either tomorrow or in a few weeks ill be getting a new imac.Which version of windows should i install with boot camp for gaming? XP,Vista,or 7? thanks

If you can wait until Fall, I'd say Windows 7. If not, go with XP. Vista has many compatibility issues.

[jakeguy99]

If you can wait until Fall, I'd say Windows 7. If not, go with XP. Vista has many compatibility issues.

Yep get Windows XP service pack 2. You will be set.

[rasmasyean]

What kind of compatibility issues are you talking about? 5 year old games???
Games are made primarily with Vista in mind these days.

If you are going to have a decent graphics card, get Vista for DX10.
If you're getting the one without the dedicated card, you might not be able to run DX10 stuff well...or at all.
Also, from what I read about Vista, it pushes more graphics processing to the Video card and relieves the CPU.
So a good graphics card is the key to Vista performance (as with its games).

Vista Compatibility Wiki:
http://iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List

Over a third (and increasing) of Steamers use Vista and over a third (and increasing)of those use 64-bit so it can't be wrong.
http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/

[Eidorian]

I'd go with the Windows 7 RC for now to kill some time.

[rasmasyean]

I'd go with the Windows 7 RC for now to kill some time.

Yeah, that might be a good idea. Because I think they will work till a few months after it's official release.

[Dagless]

I'd go for XP, you get better performance (no matter how minor in some cases). I don't see any benefit from running games in Vista, plus I use bootcamp to play games and Vista takes longer to load up than XP. XP also has less compatability issues. My PC game library goes back to 1995 and a lot of the classic games don't like to run in Vista.

[iSaygoodbye]

alright. im getting the one with dedicated graphics so i dont know.I wont be playing any really old games. The games i have in mind are gta 4,fallout 3,and gears of war.Would all of those run in windows 7?

[gregorsamsa]

I'd go for Win 7 RC, though according to early benchmark tests, general gaming performance isn't any better than Vista SP1.

All those games should run fine, but perhaps someone can confirm it. I've read that the only games that don't run in Win 7 RC tend to be well over 5 years old. Some older games will run okay of course, but there's more than a few that still don't.

[Coalman]

I installed Windows 7 on my iMac. So far, there are no problems running Knights of the Old Republic 2 and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, GOTY edition.

[redraidermacman]

yeah, windows 7RC has been pretty good, very smooth and i can play pretty

much anything, although i have had one problem getting mass effect to play

over steam, but other than that it has been great and it is good until june of

next year for free......

[dimme]

Another vote for windows 7 rc1

[rasmasyean]

I'd go for Win 7 RC, though according to early benchmark tests, general gaming performance isn't any better than Vista SP1.

All those games should run fine, but perhaps someone can confirm it. I've read that the only games that don't run in Win 7 RC tend to be well over 5 years old. Some older games will run okay of course, but there's more than a few that still don't.

However, many DirectX 9 games showed a drop in frame rate compared to that experienced in Windows XP.[92][93][94] These results were largely the consequence of Vista's immature graphics processing units drivers, and higher system requirements for Vista itself.[95][96] As of mid-2008, benchmarks suggest that Vista SP1 is now on par with Windows XP in terms of game performance.[97] An April 2009 survey by Valve Corporation indicated that 37.61% of gamers are running Windows Vista or Windows 7 beta (26.32% 32-bit, 11.29% 64-bit).[98]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista

For old titles…sometimes you can find some hack or download a DLL to fix some compatability issues “unofficially”. Windows have a lot of ppl who use it and a lot of these people love their “classics” so it sometimes is just a matter of time before someone smart finds a workable solution. If it’s really that old, maybe you can just virtualize it too since it prolly doesn’t take much power.

[gregorsamsa]

However, many DirectX 9 games showed a drop in frame rate compared to that experienced in Windows XP.[92][93][94] These results were largely the consequence of Vista's immature graphics processing units drivers, and higher system requirements for Vista itself.[95][96] As of mid-2008, benchmarks suggest that Vista SP1 is now on par with Windows XP in terms of game performance.[97] An April 2009 survey by Valve Corporation indicated that 37.61% of gamers are running Windows Vista or Windows 7 beta (26.32% 32-bit, 11.29% 64-bit).[98]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista

For old titles…sometimes you can find some hack or download a DLL to fix some compatability issues “unofficially”. Windows have a lot of ppl who use it and a lot of these people love their “classics” so it sometimes is just a matter of time before someone smart finds a workable solution. If it’s really that old, maybe you can just virtualize it too since it prolly doesn’t take much power.

Good points. I'm sure that in time there'll be various fixes for those older games that don't run too well in Win 7.

[Superdelphinus]

another vote for w7 rc

won't the XP mode sort out those issues anyway?

[Dagless]

won't the XP mode sort out those issues anyway?

They would, but wouldn't you also get a loss in performance running a virtual machine?

[jav6454]

People in unison call it Windows XP SP2 or if you want the latest, Windows 7 RC.

[Ov3rlord Falc0r]

Yeah, that might be a good idea. Because I think they will work till a few months after it's official release.

Ya it works for a few months after release but starting in March (i believe) there will be bi-hourly shutdowns.

To the OP though, how do you want to play the games? Like are you a complete graphics whore and just want them to look their best? If so I would suggest Vista/7 seeing as they support DX10. If you just want very playable with good graphics I'd say just XP it, there just wont' be that pop in the graphics without the DX10. I play CoD4, Oblivion, and Mass Effect on both DX 9 and 10 and there really isn't THAT big of a difference IMO.

[Eidorian]

I'm still not using DirectX 10 under Vista or 7 for gaming.

[rasmasyean]

I think as more developers jump on, there will be more elements of DX10 that they use and they will get better at using it. So as time goes on, you will start noticing it more and more. It's true that it's a preference but if you have the hardware, I'd say go for it because you never know if you would like to try it later on. The difference in cost is not that much for the basic OS unless you get one of them for free.

[iSaygoodbye]

Ya it works for a few months after release but starting in March (i believe) there will be bi-hourly shutdowns.

To the OP though, how do you want to play the games? Like are you a complete graphics whore and just want them to look their best? If so I would suggest Vista/7 seeing as they support DX10. If you just want very playable with good graphics I'd say just XP it, there just wont' be that pop in the graphics without the DX10. I play CoD4, Oblivion, and Mass Effect on both DX 9 and 10 and there really isn't THAT big of a difference IMO.

definetly not a graphics whore,otherwise i wouldnt be getting a imac.i just want it to be playable.but 7 is in the lead mainly becuase i really want to play around with it

[Ov3rlord Falc0r]

definetly not a graphics whore,otherwise i wouldnt be getting a imac.i just want it to be playable.but 7 is in the lead mainly becuase i really want to play around with it

Ya I didn't tag your for a graphics whore. Lol. If 7 is what you want then go for it and try it out. I mean it is free after all. I've heard of some game compatibility issues but you'd have to search around for more info on that.

[apfhex]

I've heard of some game compatibility issues but you'd have to search around for more info on that.
I've had issues with some games in Win7, but I also have been playing some older ones. Overall I'm sticking with XP for gaming (only one game I own even uses DX10 at all, and doesn't really look or perform better). Anyway, you can't beat free Windows 7, as long as you don't mind there being some bugs. It's otherwise a lot better than XP.

[bkap16]

They would, but wouldn't you also get a loss in performance running a virtual machine?

A little but not that much. The "XP mode" requires a CPU with hardware virtualization (I know the processors in the 2009 Mac Pros and 2008 Macbook Pros have it, not sure about other models). Since it's running on the hardware anyway, you won't see that much of a performance gap. The biggest problem might be with the graphics- I don't know how well the virtual machine exposes the graphics card.