Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

azngamer808

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 18, 2007
32
0
the ONLY reason that i want to install windows is to play games (cus there's so much more selection and prices are generally cheaper). Should i get vista or xp? i'm confused because there's so many people complaining about vista but at the same time there's so many people saying vista isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
 
Go for XP Pro if you just want to play games - Vista is not bad but games still run better on XP. If you want to use it day to day for things other than games I would suggest Vista.
 
If you're planning to play old games and/or seek the most compatibility, than choose XP hands down. If you plan to ONLY play the latest and greatest, than Vista might be better because of DX10 (on games where DX10 makes a difference anyways). If you don't care about the things that were added in DX10 that makes some games look better, than XP will save you a lot of headaches.

Also note that the XP size is about 1/5 that of the Vista size, so if you do choose Vista, you are going to have to allocate a lot more space.
 
Go for XP for gaming because there are still some compatibility issues with Vista. Some of the drivers are not totally up to par yet.
 
I chose Vista simply because I'm stick of looking at XP's fugly interface. But I can tell on my home built gaming rig, I have nothing but troubles with Vista and it's lack of drivers. It's been out for 17 months and there are still major companies that haven't released decent drivers for it? My Soundblaster card bluescreens me. WTF is that all about?

That being said, the DX10 issues is a non-issue if you don't have a DX10 video card. :)
 
I chose Vista simply because I'm stick of looking at XP's fugly interface. But I can tell on my home built gaming rig, I have nothing but troubles with Vista and it's lack of drivers. It's been out for 17 months and there are still major companies that haven't released decent drivers for it? My Soundblaster card bluescreens me. WTF is that all about?

That being said, the DX10 issues is a non-issue if you don't have a DX10 video card. :)

The GeForce 8600M GT was a DX10 video card the last time I checked... maybe I misread somewhere.
 
i ran both with boot camp... evenutally ditched xp pro for vista ultimate and installed xp pro as a vm only... haven't used xp in 3 months
 
as much as i hate to jump on the dis vista bandwagon, i think the only time id pick vista over xp is if it was the primary os, you were using it for stuff other than gaming, and the computer had really great specs. if youre just playing games, get xp. this way you know there will be no problems, and you can always upgrade to vista since thers nothing on it but games anwayy. im in a similiar situtation, i instlaled vmware with vista. it actually runs great, but i dare not run game son it, id have to use bootcamp. i only FPS really anymore (tf2) and i play on a 32 inch lcd tv, so i dont think i could play on a laptop cause the small screen would impair my aim. id have to start on a laptop and switch up, lol
 
somewhat related question here...

when you install xp via parallels or fusion, is the size of the pc hard drive flexible? or do you have to allocate a set amount of space?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.