Hello all, I was hoping you could help me end my debate on which of these two OSes to use on my gaming rig. At this point I only have a copy of XP64 and need to save up for the Vista copy. I've read several threads on 32 vs. 64 and a couple on 64 vs. 64 but what I'm looking for is a specific opinion on my system. So, without further ado:

• Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz (BX80557E6750)
• ASUS P5E (with on board audio and networking)
• 4GB (2x2GB) crucial PC6400 (CT2CP25664AA800)
• eVGA GeForce 8600GT 512MB
• Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB/7200RPM/SATA3.0Gb/s (ST3320620AS)
• OCZ GameXStream 700W SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Power Supply (OCZ700GXSSLI)

Currently I am running XP Pro SP2 (32 bit) on the single HD. However, due to a multitude of errors none of my games work. At this point I just want to have a stable system that I can play my games on. I've heard that both 64bit versions are more stable for gaming, especially with the setup I have. I also would like to get the full value out of my memory (noting the 3GB max memory detection on 32bit OS installs.)

So my question is, Vista 64 or XP 64 and why?

I'm pretty sure my system is fully compatible and has 64 bit drivers available for all of my hardware. If you know otherwise please let me know though.

A question of partitioning: I'll probably install xp64 right now on its own partition. Install games and programs on a second partition and then everything else (music, vids , etc.) on a third. Is there anything I should know about installing Vista that would affect this method? (i.e. partitions differently, or something with the file system)

Errors and troubleshooting done so far described in more detail:

• Mainly getting nv4_disp BSOD errors and crashes from games to the desktop with a windows error report window.
• Updated all hardware drivers.
• Tried all nvidia drivers from the last year.
• Swapped out the 8600 for an ATI 2600PRO. I get similar errors with this board.
• I've tried disabling all the on board (audio, etc.) with no change.
• Games tried: HL2 (and related), Assassin's Creed, bioshock.
• Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 seems to work but often has graphics artifacts.

Vista64 is the better OS, it has more hardware support and better memory management (that last part is a guess, but I assume V64 has superfetch and xp64 doesn't).

But since you already have XP64 and think your hardware is supported then I would give that a shot. I'm running XP64 on one machine right now as its sole OS and things are fine. I think if your hardware is supported there isn't really anything wrong with XP64.

I think your idea of putting XP64 on its own partition and giving it a shot is a good idea, although I don't know how easy it will be to run Vista AND XP64 on the same system. I've never dual booted a system that has Vista on it, I don't think it is as straightfoward as it is with all the previous Microsoft OSes. There shouldn't be any file system or partition issues between the two though, just the boot loader difference.

I would say go with Vista 64x. Your hardware would run fine with Vista. besides, sooner or later you will need to upgrade...So why not do it now?
As for stability; Vista is becoming increasingly stable every day. (I use Vista 32 and have experienced no problems whatsoever.)

I basically did the exact same partition as you but with Vista 32 on a fresh HDD. Are you going to install Vista fresh, or over your existing OS? (The partitioning in Vista is similar to, but easier than XP imo.)

And I'm not quite sure what's wrong with your current OS with all those crashes and stuff.

I'm going to install fresh. I'm backing up right now but when I'm done I'll format and repartition. Ideally I'll have C being the OS D being exclusively for programs and games. and E being for data and temporary files. May not be those exact drive letters though.

I don't have the money for Vista right now. I have 32 bit copies that I got through my school's MSDN academic alliance but my school doesn't have any 64 bit options for Vista, that I know of anyway.

So, I was just going to install windows on it's own partition. The last system I cleaned up that was the method I used. You just have to remember to leave enough room on each partition for whatever you are going to need.

That's pretty much what I did mate, except I made 4 partitions.
I've got Vista and drivers etc. installed on C, Programs installed on D and data/music etc on E & F.
If I've understood your last post correctly; Your going to reinstall XP 64 using the above method until you can afford Vista 64 with which you will repeat the whole thing?

I have Vista 64 and XP 64 running on my Q6600 with 4 GB and a 500 GB HD.

Installation was straightforward, I get the dual-boot selection at startup. In XP64, I used C: as a boot partition and installed XP64 on E: All my files are on F: partition.
I installed Vista 64 on D:. When I'm in Vista, it sees my Vista drive as C:
But it works fine. I had to do some tweaking after installing vista. I had to run XP64 from my CD and use Fixboot and FixMBR.

Both operating systems run just fine.