Q: Hey there!
Im going to build a new computer in a few days and I still do not know what OS to install Win 2k or Win XP. Ive used both and both have advantages and disadvantages, which do you think is best for gamming?
Best Answer: Get Intel Core i3 530 Dual Core or AMD Athlon II X4 630 Quad Core, depending on your affordability. Core2Duo is simply out of question as its a dual core processor with only two threads. But Core i3 is a dual core with 4 threads which makes it somewhat nearer to a quad core. And also Core i3 has got more cache memory which is beneficial is several applications.
For affordability I recommend the Athlon II X4 630 as its a quad core processor with 4 threads, and its cheaper than Core i3. The performance in games is similar to Core i3, but when overclocked it give results equivalent to quad core Core i5. It runs cooler at only 45C under overclock. Having 4 cores is beneficial for the future as more and more multi threaded applications are getting released, and in future if games take advantage of more cores, then Quad core processors would be the best bet.
Re:i've been a little busy so hopefully I'll be able to get those results to you tomarrow…..
Re:The only thing I have found that I don't like on XP is the fact that some older
games have problems. I've had a couple that I could make them play in
compatiblity mode but some of them just won't run without freezing up or
dropping completely out in the middle of a game and taking you back to
the start menu.
Re:guy, did you try an D3D tests on the weekend?
On my part, I installed Win98SE and what a difference! More eye candy can be applied to games without loss of framerates. Some games play much smoother at the same resolution compared to XP Pro. IMO, the benefits are there and i'm keeping my dual booted machine 
Colin McRae 2.0 and NHL 2k3 where much more smoother and looked better as I could crank up graphics without loss of gameplay.
I'd still like to know why though…
Re:Were u you using the "classic" interface or the defualt one that is loaded w/ XP. If you change it to the classic you'll be pleasantly surprised to get a little speed boost on slow @ss systems like the one you got
I'm really not sure why it does, I think it might be b/c it loads the classic one and then loads the default one on top of it.Re:Sounds like a user problem to me
Probabily it is… The computer is an old P2 350 and a keep installing and uninstalling games and programs, so he gets slower! In Win 2k i never had this problem!
Re:Getting slower w/ time???? I have no clue what you're talking about. I've never had that problem and have 1 computer running XP for over a year and another for around 6 months. We have a server at my house that has been runing XP since the week after it came out, never been reformatted, and has no signs of getting "slower" Sounds like a user problem to me
I agree. Same here. And I'm sure I have A LOT more programs installed on my machine than most people here. This thing is loaded and running perfect!
Re:Originally posted by: guy
what advantages does 2k have that XP does not?
Like a friend of mine always says: " Windows XP is for ladies"
Ive used win XP for a while and i loved it (i had always use win 98), no crashes, no hang ups no blue screens… but every once in a while i had to reinstall it because he got slowly with time…
Then i tried Win 2k, same stability but with an little increase in performance and no problems of getting slower with time.
I think Win XP is equal to Win 2k with the (big) difference that has a million off little things (many of them usefull) to make things easier to newbies and has lots of eye candy.
Getting slower w/ time???? I have no clue what you're talking about. I've never had that problem and have 1 computer running XP for over a year and another for around 6 months. We have a server at my house that has been runing XP since the week after it came out, never been reformatted, and has no signs of getting "slower" Sounds like a user problem to me
Re:what advantages does 2k have that XP does not?
Like a friend of mine always says: " Windows XP is for ladies"
Ive used win XP for a while and i loved it (i had always use win 98), no crashes, no hang ups no blue screens… but every once in a while i had to reinstall it because he got slowly with time…
Then i tried Win 2k, same stability but with an little increase in performance and no problems of getting slower with time.
I think Win XP is equal to Win 2k with the (big) difference that has a million off little things (many of them usefull) to make things easier to newbies and has lots of eye candy.
Re:I'm gonna have to do some D3D test on my system and I'll get back to you… unfortunatly, I"m leavig this weekend so it won't be until Monday…. until then…
Re:guy, that's what I was thinking. MOHAA is an OpenGL game. Doubt that NHL is a OpenGL and don't know about Colin McRae. If D3D is from Microsoft, why would it be so slow on Win XP Pro?
Re:RU running those under Open GL or Direct 3D? I've ran Q3, HL, CS, Mafia, UT, and a glutton of other games and have never had a problem w/ XP nore 2k for that matter
Re:I don't know why, but in my case XP doesn't perform as well as I think it should. Got (XP2100, A7N8X DX, 512 PC2700, GF3Ti200, SBLive, 20+60GB 7200 RPM ATA 66 & 100) and Medal of Honour works great. However, the rest (Colin McRae 2, NHL 2k3) are laggy and can't put much more eye candy than I could when I had my classic 650 Athlon. However, in Win98SE, Colin McRae works so well! I presume NHL 2k3 will do the same. Have no clue why as I have gotten rid of excess services, got the latest drivers, updates for games, ect…
Re:I'd go w/ XP all the way… what advantages does 2k have that XP does not?
0 Comments.