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New computer, should i go XP or Windows 7

gnatt66

gnatt66

New Member
My 'design' computer is starting to show it's age. the HDD is getting louder and louder and...yeah.

It's an old gateway with an AMD x2 3800, 1 gig of ram,etc. like 5 years old.

I'd like to get a new system before this one kicks the bucket, and kinda figured i'd get one built with xp so i had no compatibility issues, etc with my plotter, software i had etc.

Obviously, it will cost as much or more to configure a 32 bit XP station as buying a pre-fab Win 7 box that would be WAY faster. Seems counter intuitive.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of switch? Will my old Illustrator CS, Flexi/LXI, etc all work if i get my HDD contents loaded into a Win 7 machine? I have a qe60+ (graphtec) plotter. I rip on a Dell outlet Vista 64 cheapo machine, and that has worked out well for me.

I'll keep scouring the search function and google, too.
 
Craig Sjoquist

Craig Sjoquist

New Member
win 7 .. this is the future at the moment XP is a good OS but win7 has so much more to it and older software works in it so why even think about just do it
 
bigben

bigben

Not a newbie
you want to go win 7... trust me... I know 2 graphics company here who use Mac and will go to pc+win7. Currently, with the same budget, a pc will be better than a Mac.
 
gnatt66

gnatt66

New Member
thanks for the advice everyone. I'll find something that I can afford with 7 (i do have 7 on this laptop and love it, WAY better than vista day in and out) and give it a try.
 
jiarby

jiarby

New Member
I am building up a Win7 screamer right now... Pay attention to things that will speed up your user experience such as:
1. RAID 0 on fast disks for your Operating System. Make sure to regularly use Acronis/Ghost to keep up to date images of the OS in case of a disk failure.
2. Separate scratch disk, possibly an SSD
3. Fill your Mobo with RAM
4. Update your apps to take advantage of 64bit and quad core procs.
5. do not use the Intel OEM heat sink/fan
6. Use a 9xx series i7, not the newer 8xx series. The 1366 bus (9xx series) is the roadmap for next gen 6 & 8 core processors. The 1156 bus is a dead end (anyone remember the P4-468 that was quickly replaces by the LGS-775??)
7. Win7 can run "XP Compatability Mode" if you are having legacy issues. At some point you will want to set the buggy whip down (32 bit) and go with an x64 machine. It is like going from Windows 3.1 to Win 95, except quadruple the memory addresses.

This kind of box is $2500-3000 but a reasonable i7 rig can be had for $1500 from an OEM builder
 
J

Jace161

New Member
Win7 on my video editing laptop, not a single error so far, boots about 2 seconds faster, all apps load about a second faster, it's smooth like butta :D
 
webguru

webguru

New Member
you can run Win 7 in XP mode (upgraded version of Win 7), this way all your XP applications should run just fine.
 
C

ChiknNutz

New Member
Don't you have to use Win 7 Pro in order to get the XP compatibility mode? I was considering getting the Win 7 home 3-pack, but if you have issues and need the XP mode, then what?
 
jiarby

jiarby

New Member
How much RAM can W7 use- 32bit? Gene
Click to expand...

Same as 32bit Vista, 32bit XP, etc.... 32bit is 32bit, she'll do no more Capt'n!

It varies depending on which version...
2gb - Starter (2gb if 64bit)
4gb - HomePremium (16gb)
4gb - Professional (192gb)
4gb - Ultimate (192gb)


http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778(VS.85).aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_7

Don't you have to use Win 7 Pro in order to get the XP compatibility mode?
Click to expand...
Yep!

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/compare

Anyone remember "Windows 95 Compatability Mode" when XP was released??
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/helpandsupport/learnmore/appcompat.mspx
 
M

mark in tx

New Member
As long as you make sure all your software will work with Windows 7, then go for it.

And I'll let everyone else be the guinea pigs for compatibility mode.
 
SignBurst PCs

SignBurst PCs

New Member
Personally, I wouldn't stick with XP now that Windows 7 is out. Windows 7 has MANY advantages over XP. Yes, you may have to upgrade some of your software, but isn't that going to happen eventually anyhow?
 
jiarby

jiarby

New Member
I completely skipped vista (and ME way back when),,,, never installed on any of my machines.

However.... on Oct 22nd ( the day Win7 was released) I ponied up and bought Win7.

Build a new system, make it 64bit Win7 and in 5 years you'll look back and chuckle at the thought that you considered staying on a 32bit platform so you could keep using Corel 9 & CS2 (upgrade your apps) !!

Every 5-7 years there are "generational" changes that make quantum leaps in software.

The 16bit Win3.xx (DOS Shells) to Win 95/98/ME
The melding of NT into W2K/XP
And now the mainstreaming of 64bit with Win7.
 
Last edited:
SignBurst PCs

SignBurst PCs

New Member
jiarby said:
I completely skipped vista (and ME was back when),,,, never installed on any of my machines.

However.... on Oct 22nd ( the day Win7 was released) I ponied up and bought Win7.

Build a new system, make it 64bit Win7 and in 5 years you'll look back and chuckle at the thought that you considered staying on a 32bit platform so you could keep using Corel 9 & CS2 (upgrade your apps) !!

Every 10-15 years there are "generational" changes that make quantum leaps in software.

The 16bit Win3.xx (DOS Shells) to Win 95/98/ME
The melding of NT into W2K/XP
And now the mainstreaming of 64bit with Win7.
Click to expand...

Yep, I agree. MS is already designing future Operating Systems in 128 Bit. I doubt that we will see another 32 Bit OS come out of Microsoft.
 
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