Vista or XP

you can get 4GB of RAM to work if your motherboard will support it. Usually the max for 64bit is 8GB. I have used 1-1 1-0 (3GB) and it was supported so I don't see why not 4.

At 4Gigabytes of RAM, most operating systems loose effective memory management. This goes for all 32Bit operating systems. They were designed with a smaller architecture in mind, and were not built for the powerhouse machines we have today. For proper allocation to occur, 3.5GB is about the max in a 32Bit OS. If you get to 4GB, you have to do some advanced tweaking to get it running as smooth as the 3GB. 64Bit operating systems, on the other hand, were designed for excess amount of RAM, and can effectively manage and manipulate data.

Well just to get back on topic a little: i personally prefer XP because its the only OS ive ever REALLY used and i like it. Vista has a lot of problems still and i definitely wont be getting it until at least 1 service pack is out. In fact a couple of the games i play online have serious running issues with Vista, so thats another con for me. But for the most part....i suppose im ok with XP because i have a custom BricoPacks system installed for about 2 years now that essentially "mimics" Vista's looks. So my XP is basically, completely kick-ass! lol

Bricopack vista inspirat = fail
go get Vista Transformation Pack!

FYI VTP8 will be released on November 28 :roll:

Still XP...Vista's too expensive for me... :cry:

I would go for Xp. Most games are designed for Xp and Its the same with movies. They still work for Vista but I think its going to take a while before a lot of people get vista. I'd say go with an Xp.

the only reason i am running vista is beacause my notebook came with it,
vista runs quite nicely on my comp
then agin i have 2 gb of ram :roll:

The point is, it would run faster on XP because more RAM is available.

Naturally.

But again, you're contrasting operating systems like they are on an equal level. You have to take into account that XP was first released October 25, 2001. Vista on the other hand, was released on November 8, 2006. With Vista has come a wave of things (that to be honest, should have been released with systems like XP)

And Windows is now pushing Vista onto OEMs. At work recently, Matthew (my boss) had a chat with me about Vista and XP. Software, driver and peripheral manufacturers have basically been given the go-ahead to slow XP compatibility in a bid to move everyone to Vista. This is much like 98 -> XP. They made some versions of InstallShield that rejected 98 as an operating system that was compatible with the program. OEMs (us techies that build your computers) only have a limited ammount of time left for XP, as soon Microsoft will stop distributing copies and force us to sell Vista. This is a blow to the industry, who like to offer a lightweight system VS a resource hog with support for that one program.

Trust Microsoft, eh? Limiting choices is what they do best.

I have everything I need on XP.