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Which Vista To Buy?

Demo318

Demo318

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 20, 2009
17
0
Hey guys,

I'm looking to buy a copy of vista so that, as I go away to college, I can play some cross-platform Windows Live games with my Xbox 360 playing siblings. I want to simply buy the lowest-end that supports gaming. Does Home Basic support playing games or should I go home premium?

Thanks
 
Home basic supports gaming, but if I were you I would just wait until windows 7 comes out.
 
I would possibly consider just downloading the Windows 7 RC, it's free, it works until June 2010, and it's stable. I would also just buy Windows 7. I think Best Buy is offering deals if you pre-order it.

Windows 7 doesn't really have a lot of new features that Vista doesn't have, but it is a lot more stable, compatible, and faster. Kind of like what Apple has done with Leopard -> Snow Leopard.
 
TSE said:
I would possibly consider just downloading the Windows 7 RC, it's free, it works until June 2010, and it's stable. I would also just buy Windows 7. I think Best Buy is offering deals if you pre-order it.

Windows 7 doesn't really have a lot of new features that Vista doesn't have, but it is a lot more stable, compatible, and faster. Kind of like what Apple has done with Leopard -> Snow Leopard.
Click to expand...

I heartily second this. Even older games have worked for me with the Windows 7 RC.

Use the free release candidate now. Then buy a cheap OEM version of Windows 7 from Newegg when it is finally released. Actually it will likely be really cheap through your University.
 
I hear the XP version is the best.

There's a local computer shop around here that are giving away Windows 7 vouchers if you buy Vista now. So we're getting Home 64bit for my sisters new PC at the weekend. To hell with Vista, as it were.

But for games; XP. It still has the best performance (even if its just marginally on some machines), it's the least resource hogging, the smallest footprint, the most compatible etc.
 
I actually love Vista Home Premium... you know why?

Because it made me convert to Mac! :D
:apple:
 
TSE said:
I would possibly consider just downloading the Windows 7 RC, it's free, it works until June 2010, and it's stable. I would also just buy Windows 7. I think Best Buy is offering deals if you pre-order it.
Click to expand...

Actually it really only works until March 1, 2010, after which the program will shut down after 2 hours of use until A). a paid version is installed or B.) you let the RC license expire completely on June 1, 2010.

Otherwise, yeah, pre-order it for more than half-off while you still can (until July 10, I believe).
 
The 50% off upgrade pre-order sale ends this week. If you already have a copy of Windows XP or Vista, this is a great deal.

If you don't already own a copy of Windows, most online retailers are offering Vista with a Windows 7 upgrade coupon. That way you can upgrade to Windows 7 for the cost of shipping when it is released in October.

As for which version of Vista to get, Home Basic will do gaming just fine. However, if you plan to upgrade to more than 8GB of RAM, you'll need Home Premium. Either way, for running it on a Mac get a 64-bit version.
 
I have windows xp pro, full version disc/license from when I was an undergrad. Going to law school this fall and wouldn't mind getting windows 7 to install on my soon-to-be-bought mbp, but I'm confused ... will the windows 7 upgrade work for xp installations? Like I said, I have the pro version. So would the 7 home premium upgrade work on my xp pro disc? or which one would i need to get?

I don't plan to seriously ever use windows on my mbp, i'm buying the mbp so i won't HAVE to use windows. Just thought it'd be cool cuz ya never know, and also it might be fun to play around with, or maybe play a game on it, although i'm not at all a big gamer or anything. Anyone know how the 7 upgrades are working with respect to xp? Thanks.
 
iLeo said:
I actually love Vista Home Premium... you know why?

Because it made me convert to Mac! :D
:apple:
Click to expand...

LOL you too? I guess I'm not the only one. Too bad there isn't a way to quantify exactly how many customers Apple gained as a result of Vista, but I am sure if there was then the results would ensure someone gets fired up in Redmont.

Anyway, definitely go for Windows 7 instead of Vista. Might as well have the latest version if you are going to spend money it. I doubt the next version of Windows will be released any sooner than 7 was, so you will be up to date for at least the next 3 years.

If you buy Vista now, you'll be using old technology in just a few months. Of course if you get a free voucher for a Windows 7 upgrade while buying Vista, then it could be worth it. You can always sell Vista to someone and keep 7 for yourself or have an extra Windows license in case it ever comes in handy.

You cannot upgrade from XP to Windows 7, AFAIK. I think the "upgrade edition" might still be okay to buy, but you will definitely have to perform a clean install. In this case I don't think it matters which edition you buy since you will not be performing a direct upgrade over XP, although in the past you had to get an equivalent edition (for example, you could not upgrade XP Pro to Vista Home Premium, you needed Business or Ultimate).
 
raggedjimmi said:
I hear the XP version is the best.

There's a local computer shop around here that are giving away Windows 7 vouchers if you buy Vista now. So we're getting Home 64bit for my sisters new PC at the weekend. To hell with Vista, as it were.

But for games; XP. It still has the best performance (even if its just marginally on some machines), it's the least resource hogging, the smallest footprint, the most compatible etc.
Click to expand...

I agree. Although I hear 7 is pretty good as well. A half dozen guys I play WoW with who are running it and rave about it. Still partial to XP myself, as far as windoze goes.
 
raggedjimmi said:
....But for games; XP. It still has the best performance (even if its just marginally on some machines), it's the least resource hogging, the smallest footprint, the most compatible etc.
Click to expand...

DirectX 10 isn't officially supported - ways around this, but a bit iffy. Wouldn't say this is a dealbreaker by any means and XP has a lot of advantages as you say.
 
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