XP Pro or Home on Mac Pro?

[patseguin]

I have Home installed on my Mac Pro and naturally it only sees one of the processors. If I install Pro, it should see both processors. Will I notice a significant boost in performance? Already this is the fastest Windows machine I've ever used, but I wonder if the 2nd processor will boost it even more.

[padré]

i think you will only see a boost if u use programs that use multiple cores, but then again, don't take my answer as the "right" answer, its just what i think it is :)

[Unorthodox]

You should definitely see a speed improvement if you go pro.
But is it worth $200?
That depends what you're going to use it for.

[patseguin]

I use XP for a few games that are not on Mac. Would games have to be programmed for multi-processor support to see any benefit?

[Unorthodox]

I use XP for a few games that are not on Mac. Would games have to be programmed for multi-processor support to see any benefit?
Hmmmm... Yessss.
I think.
You may see minor improvements, nothing major.

[daveporter]

Actually, if you have games that are optimized for multi-processors and multi-cores you may see a large improvement since XP Pro will see both processors and all 4 cores. Since most games are very video intensive and rely on the GPU more then the CPU however, in reality, you may see only modest overall speed improvement in the game. However, I often run games on one monitor and still keep email and other programs open on the other monitor (so I can play while I am at work for stress relief from time to time) and I can still receive important emails, etc. In this case, the more processors and cores the better since the game can have all the CPU power it needs and still more is left for other programs.

Dave

[patseguin]

Is it acceptable to do a Pro upgrade or a fresh install?

[mkjj]

Boot Camp installation instructions state don't use WXP Professional x64 Edition.

If that's any help?

[Shotgun Pete]

xp pro is only really better for networking.

[YoNeX]

http://www.msdnaa.net/search/SchoolSearchUS.aspx

If your a student, you can get XP Pro for a very low price or sometimes even FREE! May want to check this out.