os decisions...

[nerdgirl]

Hello all,
I'm just about ready to start on building my first computer. I'm still getting some stuff, but I'm having real trouble picking an os. Here's the meat of what I'm assembling:

CPU: Athlon xp 1600
Mobo: Asus A7v266-E
CD-RW: Plextor 24/10/40a
DVD: Pioneer 106s
Sound card: Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
Video card: Hercules 3d ProphetIII ti500 OR Vistiotek xtasy 6964 ti500 (still can't decide)
and a modem.

What os should I use? I was thinking of either win98se, win2000 pro, or win xp.

It will be used for mostly gaming and a little internet and word processing. I need stability and compatability (don't we all ).

Thanks in advance!!
-ng

[GroundZero3]

if you want something stable go with winxp or win2k.

some people will tell you if you play games to get win98. for better driver support and game compatibility

win2k and winxp are basically the same. winxp of course has little extra programs to enhance your experience


how much ram you looking into?


JaYsin

[eagle1]

I'd go with XP too.!! You get the stability of 2k plus high compatibility in one single package! Now... I should tell you that some games run slower in XP than in 98 but with those specs (go with the Hercules ), I don't think you would mind!!!

[nerdgirl]

I have 256mb. Do I need more?

-ng

[edwelly]

GroundZero3 and eagle1 know their stuff, listen to them.
Win98 won't see mch difference if you use more than 256mb of ram. But I hear that Win2k will use it and XP really wants 512mb. My mobo will only support 256mb so I will never know
---edwelly

my $0.02, go with Xp... It's a nice OS

[FoCjabberwocky]

if u get xp or 2kp get a gig of ram. ram is cheap. ram is good. ram cannot hurt you my friend. the gaming performance in xp vs. 98 is a small percentage in the vast majority of the games. most of it probably due to lack of xp drivers, which as we all know will be out soon enough. in the meantime if u freak about some 98 box getting another 5 fps than you, well, you probly have other issues. my personal opinion is that the slight performance hit you'll get from xp vs. 98 is more than made up for by the outstanding stability xp has vs. 98

good luck and have fun.

[zgf2022]

If you do go the Xp route get the pro version if you can

Whatever you end up with i think your really going to enjoy that setup

[storm2k]

XP if you want to shell out the 200 bucks for it. just make sure you don't want ANOTHER computer at some point, because xp is great, one pc, one copy. that's it.

but, XP is still good.

[nerdgirl]

What are the advantages of xp professional vs the home version?

Why would I need more ram?

Thanks so much,
ng

[Emc2]

Definately go with XP. Go to the various sites such as www.tweakxp.com to tweak your install for best performance. Personally, I have XP Pro, and I will never go back to 98 or 2k . The big thing I like about XP is some of its built-in utilities, such as a zip utility and cd-burning software. Also, installing new hardware is painless (as long as it's not too much at one time). Make sure you get updates if at all possible, so older software will work, such as EZ CD creator.

Go with at least 512mb of RAM, so you can get rid of the page file. I noticed a big difference in game performance when I did this. Also, set the memory management to "cache" instead of "programs".

good luck, and keep us updated.

[edit] Pro lets you get rid of a few services that might not be needed, whereas Home does not. It also lets you do the page file tweak above.