XP to Vista or 7?

[megabomination]

Hi people. Given my systems specs, which O.S. should I upgrade to ? I have two HDD & will be keeping XP on one and was thinking of getting W7 for the other however I ran the W7 upgrade checker & found that some of my hardware & programs wont or may/may not work with 7!?
Im thinking vista will be the safer cheaper & less fuss option?
- With my specs will running vista/W7 free up RAM etc.. and allow my pc to run faster or will vista/W7 hog more resources ?
- Will running vista & dX10/ 7 dx11 with my system actually provide a real jump in performance in gaming?
- Can anyone confirm that W7 is much better than vista?
Im basically wanting the o.s. thats going to get the most out of my current hardware and vica versa!

CPU:​

Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 @ 2.93GHz​

Motherboard, Memory:​

ASUS P5G41T-M LX (LGA775) 4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 533MHz​

Graphics:​

1024MB ATI Radeon HD 5700 ASUS VS248H (1920x1080@60Hz)​

Audio:​

Realtek High Definition Audio​

Storage:​

466GB SAMSUNG HD501LJ (SATA) 149GB Seagate ST3160812AS (SATA)​

Case, cooling:​

Generic Case, Silverstone 500w PSU, SONY DVD RW DRU-840A​

Operating System:​

Microsoft Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3​

 

[DelJo63]

Here's my $0.02.

When my laptop died (xp/pro 32bit) I said "it's time for a full technology reset".
I Also didn't care for the Win/8 GUI and this narrowed the search to Vista vs Win/7.
The choices became 32bit vs 64bit and to replace with another laptop vs a desktop.

SO, now I'm on Win/7 Pro 64bit SP1 with i3 2.53 Ghz processor,
4GB ram and 450GB HD (at 5400 rpm to conserve battery).

Moving data from the old system was still possible using a USB connection to the old HD
so nothing was lost either.

 

[megabomination]

Thanks for you 2 c jobeard.
Im really looking for the least hassle and performance boost with my current setup and I see your cpu is a better spec than mine so im still going to have to do some homework!
Do XP programmes still run in vista/W7 All,some,none??

 

[cliffordcooley]

I have Windows 7 64-bit installed on lessor machines and they run fine. The machine I installed to is a Celeron E1200 Dual Core. This is lower quality than any of the Core2 Duo's. And the machine only has 2GB of memory. Since you have 4GB of memory I would suggest the 64-bit version.

If you are looking for Windows 7 to have the most compatibility with older hardware, Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate has Virtual PC/XP Mode. XP Mode is a install of Windows XP Professional SP3 within Windows 7 in what is called a virtual machine. Any hardware that setup in Windows 7 could be setup in XP Mode.

 

[megabomination]

Thanks clifford. Im now yhinking about getting W7 64 bit after reading a bit more and if worst comes to worst what ever I cant use in WY I can just keep in XP.
So windows 7 64 bit should utilize my hardware better and make for a quicker pc?
Should I be able to check all hardware compatability on the manufactures websites?

 

[cliffordcooley]

So windows 7 64 bit should utilize my hardware better and make for a quicker pc?

Yes, but that really depend on your software and how well it performs in general.

There are several software titles designed for 64-bit (64-bit Applications). If you plan on using those titles, you will need an operating system that will support them first.

Should I be able to check all hardware compatability on the manufactures websites?

Most complaints I hear from Windows 7 compatibility:

1. Old printers and scanners (scanners more than printers). With that said, I have successfully installed 64-bit drivers for a HP Laserjet 6P which is over 15 years old. Requires windows update from within the add printer setup pages to list the printer for install. If trying to install a network printer, first install it as if its connected to the PC first and then install it for network printing. This bypasses the need for network driver installation that may fail (which did fail for the 6P).
2. Few compatibility issues in MS Office 2003. MS Office 2007 doesn't have Windows 7 logo but it works without any issues as far as I'm aware.
3. Several compatibility issues in games migrating from older operating systems. Several of the games have released patches that correct these issues though.
4. This one is not really a complaint as much as it is an inquiry. Old software designed for Windows 3.11 and a few titles designed for Windows 95/98. Windows 64-bit will not run 16-bit applications natively, you would need XP Mode for those applications if needed. Out of all the software titles I have been acquainted with over the years, my mother is the only one that has an application that requires XP Mode. It's a very old application (bible study) that she refuses to let go, because the updated versions dropped features she uses.

 

[megabomination]

Thanks clifford. It looks as though my hardware will all be compatible but a couple of programs may not work but these can be updated anyway.

 

[megabomination]

Thanks again.
I will soon be purchasing windows 7 and installing it on a new HDD and using it as my main drive to do banking browsing etc... and have just reformated my samsung 500gb HDD with xp to soley have for gaming and a few other programmes.
For games that are supported by xp and vista only(which are all of my games to date) would I better of leaving these on this drive running xp or would they utilize direct x 11 in windows 7 and increase in performance?

I forgot ask is there a media centre edition of windows 7?

 

[cliffordcooley]

I forgot ask is there a media centre edition of windows 7?

No, but Windows 7 comes with Media Center. All editions except Windows 7 starter that is bundled with most Netbooks.

Check out this links for Windows feature comparisons.

 

[SNGX1275]

If a game says its supported by Vista, then it is supported by 7, it likely just came out before 7 was released. I wouldn't bother with a dual boot setup.

 

[Tekkaraiden]

I have a similarly spec'ed pc and it runs windows 7 quite well.

 

[St1ckM4n]

DX11 also doesn't work under XP, so you have some more deliciousness to look forward to under Win7.

 

[Mr Taylor]

Windows 7 is the best option for upgration From Windows Xp.Windows Vista is a Floop Operating System As For As I Think.From Xp Their is Start Route To Windows 7 Ultimate.

 

[megabomination]

Thanks all ive narrowed it down to windows 7 professional 64bit.
From what I can see 7 ultimate has a few more features that I probably wonldnt use anyway!

 

[DelJo63]

The BIG feature that Ultimate offers (imo) is multiple language packs
eg: your login in English and some other in Spanish

 

[megabomination]

Yes jo beard however with my beer induced aussie acsent im flat out speaking one language let a lone multiples lol so english will be fine thanks. WOuld the bitfender thingy be worthwhile?

 

[DelJo63]

It is now default in Win/7 and updated frequently. Bitdefender has THE rootkit and MBR scanner that no one else can match, so YEA. I do run it only manually and use Avast! as my primary A/V, email and weblink scanner.

 

[megabomination]

So it is now included in w7 pro?
I wanted something good to scan emails specifically so if it comes in w7 pro I think ill stick with that edition.