Windows 7 or XP for gaming? Plus help.

I have a bit of a dilemma here. I'm trying to decide whether or not to pick Windows 7 or XP for some gaming. Other things like browsing and multimedia too, of course, but mostly gaming.
I'm getting a new-to-me computer this coming Friday. Specs are:

P4 3.1ghz (hyperthreading, dunno if that matters much.)
2 gigs of DDR3 RAM.
ATI Radeon x1650 Pro with 512mb RAM.

Quite frankly, I've never had a PC capable of playing any games >2003, so the idea of being able to play some good games is very enjoyable.

• What newer games could this machine run with a decent framerate? (High or low settings doesn't matter)
• Which OS should I choose for best performance?

(note: if I run Win7, I'd of course be using the classic theme while I play. I'd also be using slipstreamed versions of either OS I choose.)
I know from experience that XP is really great on performance, but I've been told that 7 is really good for gaming. I'm not sure, though.

I'll take any help/suggestions I can get, this is new territory for me.

If I was you check out Dark Messiah of might and magic....
- http://www.google.co.za/search?q=dark+massje&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:{referrer:source?}&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GFRE_en#q=dark+messiah+of+might+and+magic+youtube+gameplay&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:%7Breferrer:source%3F%7D&rlz=1I7GFRE_en&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbm=vid&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=tRCsTbH_HoqTswa2rtWaCA&ved=0CD8QqwQ&fp=275e0625c65ba6c7

And without a Core2duo it has to be oblivion...
- http://www.google.co.za/search?q=dark+massje&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:{referrer:source?}&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GFRE_en#hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US%3A%7Breferrer%3Asource%3F%7D&rlz=1I7GFRE_en&tbm=vid&q=oblivion+youtube+gameplay&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=oblivion+youtube+gameplay&pbx=1&fp=275e0625c65ba6c7

Another awesome game for you would be DungeonSiege2
- http://www.google.co.za/search?q=dark+massje&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:{referrer:source?}&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GFRE_en#hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US%3A%7Breferrer%3Asource%3F%7D&rlz=1I7GFRE_en&tbm=vid&q=DungeonSiege2+youtube+gameplay&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=DungeonSiege2+youtube+gameplay&pbx=1&fp=275e0625c65ba6c7

But I'd go xp to save you some RAM.. Not all the games is accepted by win7

Assassins Creed would be a good go aswell..
If you could get a Core2 in there you should check out.. Black ops

- http://www.google.co.za/search?q=black+ops+youtube&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:{referrer:source?}&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GFRE_en#q=black+ops+youtube&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:%7Breferrer:source%3F%7D&rlz=1I7GFRE_en&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbm=vid&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=qBSsTZa4BI_1sgaR0ISBBw&ved=0CEMQqwQ&fp=275e0625c65ba6c7

Sorry for the posting I'm actually not sure how to paste the HTML.

Hope this helped. And njoy the gaming.

This button ( ) Lets you post links.

Thanks for the game suggestions, I'll definitely look those up.

I don't want to be funny but I still don't see that button.

I you want a good machine that does media along with games. I would go with the Win 7. But you should upgrade your RAM to 4Gb then you could run WIn7 64bit. You will get more out of you processor and when you decide to upgrade your gpu (which if your a gamer you will) you will be rip raring ready to rock. If you do go 7 make sure to turn off all the Aero fetures, which would be off if you ran classic view. This set up will give you more options. Also with digital media win 7 make it very easy to share that media to your whole house. And there are some real cool media centers that you can use also. My personal favorite is XBMC. It is free for download and will blow you away in functionality. You will want a new Vid card when you start getting into HD movies also because you will probly get into decoding your rips. Hope all this helps in your decision.

Indeed it will. I'm probably going to go ahead and do Win7.

If you're going to start leaning towards new games, I'd go with Windows 7. Companies that make PC games are only going to write in support for so long (like everything else).

Found some interesting info. Apparently, the graphics card isn't officially supported by Windows 7.
I got it from one of those video game benchmark sites; they did a review on a long list of cards and mine was on there.

What others have said is true XP is better for gaming as it saves RAM and Win7 can have compatibility issues. But even before you get to that i would consider at least a Core2Duo as even a 3.1GHz P4 will not perform very well when running games.

I have never heard of a p4 that can do ddr3 much less ddr2- all p4 I know of is normal ddr only- maybe pc800.

a ati 1650 is a pretty low end card and can not even do sm3 and I think they made them for both pcie and normal apg 8x slots- pcie is 16x slots. So if your specs are near right and it is p4 and normal ddr and normal pci slot its gaming performance will not be great in either xp or w7 and more than likely xp is about all it can or should do- but xp support is near over or soon will be- xp only supports sp3 any more. Your system would have fits playing games on a high res monitor if normal p4 performance.

IMO w7 is a better gamer but w7 is more quirky than xp in everything multi media. But is somethings w7 does well and mostly because the systems are more powerful and more system ram. My w7 rig is a better gamer even in dx9 games but again because it is a more powerful system and more ram.

Also if it is a p4 depending on how old its chip sets etc are vista nor w7 may support it at all. If to old surely vista nor w7 will auto install or update drivers etc and you may not be able to even install some or most drivers etc manually if the hardware is to old and trying to use vista or w7.

If free that system is maybe something and if you are going to use xp- other than that you might want and more new system that uses at least ddr2 and has a pcie slot for a video card. It does not have to be the most new stuff which would be ddr3 etc- but has to be new enough if you plan to use vista or w7 or vista or w7 will not support the hardware..

All and all quirky stuff aside- I still think w7 is better than xp or for gaming anyway- and vista and or w7 is pretty much forced on us. Time - things change with time- but are not necessarily better- but if support is ended for older stuff what can you/we do. We have to move on and buy newer stuff. Fools will argue newer is better just because it is newer- they make the same arguments over crt and lcd or what ever. They are as wrong as the day is long- but you can not argue with them.

Hope you figure it out and your exact specs for that said system exact mobo and cpu and memory and vid card etc. Folks could better help ya. Again I have never heard of a p4 that can do ddr2. Something does not sound right- you should check into it..

See ya..

When I get it, I'll run Speccy on it and post the results here.

With a Pentium 4, I would stick with XP... But, your PC is DEFINITELY capable of Windows 7 x86. I say, try both and decide

Lebon

Sorry to say but that may not be true. If the chip sets etc are to old w7 will not nor will vista support it. 32bit or not. P4 stuff is pretty old.

He can try it and or google it- but he still needs to know his exact specs or model mobo etc. I can be wrong about p4's using ddr3 memory- but I have never heard of it- I do not think ddr2 or 3 mem can even fit in normal ddr slots. I can be wrong tho.. I think it was some hybrid mobos- later mobos any way?

Either way- I hope it gets to going ok- or get more new stuff..

ezeht said:

I have never heard of a p4 that can do ddr3 much less ddr2- all p4 I know of is normal ddr only- maybe pc800.

a ati 1650 is a pretty low end card and can not even do sm3 and I think they made them for both pcie and normal pci 8x slots- pcie is 16x slots. So if your specs are near right and it is p4 and normal ddr and normal pci slot its gaming performance will not be great in either xp or w7 and more than likely xp is about all it can or should do- but xp support is near over or soon will be- xp only supports sp3 any more. Your system would have fits playing games on a high res monitor if normal p4 performance.

IMO w7 is a better gamer but w7 is more quirky than xp in everything multi media. But is somethings w7 does well and mostly because the systems are more powerful and more system ram. My w7 rig is a better gamer even in dx9 games but again because it is a more powerful system and more ram.

Also if it is a p4 depending on how old its chip sets etc are vista nor w7 may support it at all. If to old surely vista nor w7 will auto install or update drivers etc and you may not be able to even install some or most drivers etc manually if the hardware is to old and trying to use vista or w7.

If free that system is maybe something and if you are going to use xp- other than that you might want and more new system that uses at least ddr2 and has a pcie slot for a video card. It does not have to be the most new stuff which would be ddr3 etc- but has to be new enough if you plan to use vista or w7 or vista or w7 will not support the hardware..

All and all quirky stuff aside- I still think w7 is better than xp or for gaming anyway- and vista and or w7 is pretty much forced on us. Time - things change with time- but are not necessarily better- but if support is ended for older stuff what can you/we do. We have to move on and buy newer stuff. Fools will argue newer is better just because it is newer- they make the same arguments over crt and lcd or what ever. They are as wrong as the day is long- but you can not argue with them.

Hope you figure it out and your exact specs for that said system exact mobo and cpu and memory and vid card etc. Folks could better help ya. Again I have never heard of a p4 that can do ddr2. Something does not sound right- you should check into it..

See ya..

Click to expand...

There is definitely P4's running DDR2 infact most ....Not DDR3 at all..
P4's go out with the minimum of a AGP slot then upgrade to a newer PCI-E...
Stick to XP and check out those awesome games for your system i listed @ the start of your thread.

Later!!

Looks like you do get them running DDR3 but rarely...And not recommended.

Hmm- I can be wrong. As said it could have been some hybrid? I had 2x p4's a ABIT AI7 and a IC7g. I do not remember any asus etc that could run ddr2 or 3 it was not even invented then and neither was pcie vid slots. Or best I remember.

I made a mistake in my first post and said pci 8x slot i meant agp and changed it.

These was well I still have all my old systems and still work but boxed up now in storage. My Abit IC7 mobo specs- I used a 2.8c cpu in both my p4's.. My AI7 was near same specs as the IC7g mobo.. Best I remember the 875's was the last of the p4's.. I used my new ic7 less than a year before I got my ABIT KN8 and it had ddr and pcie- My Abit Fatal1ty an9 32x had ddr2 and pcie 2x 16x slots. Best I remember reading- my kn8 was as old as I could go amd and w7 support it- I ran w7 on my buds kn8 until we built our new systems.. Best I remember the nforce 4 was the oldest chip set w7 would support for amd any way. I am pretty sure intel systems had a cut off some place..>

IC7g Specifications:

CPU
Supports Intel Pentium 4 Socket 478 processors with 800/533/400 MHz FSB
(400 MHz is for Northwood only)
Sports Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Chipset
Intel 875 / ICH5 RAID
Support Intel CSA Gigabit LAN
Supports Dual Channel DDR 400 with ECC function
Supports Performance Acceleration Technology (PAT) function
Supports Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface (ACPI)

Memory
Four 184-pin DIMM sockets
Supports 4 DIMM Single/Dual Channel DDR 400 memory.(Max. 4GB)
Supports configurable ECC function

AGP
Accelerated Graphics Port connector supports AGP PRO 8X/4X (0.8V/1.5V)

Dual Serial ATA RAID
2 channel Serial ATA 150MB/s data transfer rate with RAID function (0) via South Bridge
2 channel Serial ATA 150MB/s data transfer rate with RAID function (0/1) via Silicon Image PCI Chip

Audio
6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board
Professional digital audio interface supports 24-bit S/P DIF optical In/Out

Media XP (Optional)
Supports card reader function for Memory Stick™, Secure Digital™ and Type I/II CompactFlash™
Supports Wireless Remote Control and S/PDIF Out / Mic In / Headphone Out / USB 2.0 / IEEE 1394

System BIOS
SoftMenu™ Technology to set CPU parameters
Supports Plug-and-Play (PNP)
Supports Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI)
Supports Desktop Management Interface (DMI)
Write-Protect Anti-Virus function by AWARD BIOS

Gigabit LAN
On board Intel CSA Gigabit LAN

IEEE 1394
Supports IEEE 1394a at 100/200/400 Mb/s transfer rate

Internal I/O Connectors
1 x AGP PRO, 5 x PCI slots
1 x IrDA
1 x Floppy Port supports up to 2.88MB
2 x Ultra DMA 33/66/100 Connectors
4 x Serial ATA 150 Connectors
2 x USB 2.0 headers, 2 x IEEE 1394a header
1 x CD-IN, 1 x AUX-IN

Back Panel I/O
1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 mouse
1 x Printer Port, 1 x COM port
1 x S/PDIF Out connector, 1 x S/PDIF In connector
1 x Audio connectors (Front Speaker, Line-in, Mic-in)
1 x Audio connectors (Center/Sub, Surround Speaker)
2 x USB 2.0, 1 x IEEE 1394a
2 x USB 2.0, 1 x RJ-45 LAN Connector

Miscellaneous
ATX form factor
Hardware monitoring - Including Fan speeds, Voltages, System environment temperature

You Just Need one thing to know

Win7 Run new games smoother than Win XP (I Tried It myself)

Prisoner

It is possible it is running DDR2 with a P4. My old HP does and still runs DDR2- built in 2005.
I added RAM in it so I know what is in it.
In fact I'm looking at the old originals I pulled right now. I put the old ones in the new pack.
Newegg.com - WINTEC AMPO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AMD2533-2G1K-R

Ya I know my new system and w7 runs the heck out of stalker soc- maxed settings other than aa- It is said stalker aa is not real aa any way but I can force it in my vid card cp- but puts a large hit on my performance.. Stalker has never looked or ran so good for me- not vanilla any way. @ 1920x1080 75 to 86fps no lower than 45 or so if recording too- Its pretty sweet. Being I got soc running so well- been thinking about installing cop again and just run it max it in dx9

DX10 games are a bit more hard on my old vid card tho. In general w7 runs all my games better than xp. DX10 stalker cop is not so good tho and ut3 or rather 2.5 engine games in dx10 are a lil hard on it but run well with pretty high settings- I can max bioshock etc. Have to up my vid card fan- but its all good. All the games I have tried work too. W7 can be quirky about installs or patches tho. I figure it out and get them running and run good. My old vid cards does pretty good I guess..

Get me a nap here in a bit. Not sure if I will fire up stalker mafia2 justcause2 postal2 borderlands goty or fo3 goty. Maybe jc2 it is the only one I have not completed yet. Maybe postal2 Im in my second pt this time around- on wednesday just started tora bora. Enhance mode this time. Postal2 is a trip game.

Maybe I should finish postal2 first and delete it. I have been thinking about installing ut04 and bioshock2 to test out some mp action on my new rig. I have read bio2 can be probs- So I want to test it and figure it out if have any probs.. My c: is only 250 gigs- so I have to delete games to install others. We will see. All I have is time..

W7 games great imo..

If you run the windows 7 upgrade adviser on that PC it should flag any potential show stoppers. Also if you install windows 7 without entering a product code, you can run it as a trial for 30 days. That will give you lots of time to decide if you actually want to use up your product code on that PC or maybe save it for a better build down the road. With the rearm command you can stretch the trial out even further.

I do not believe XP "saves" RAM. Its simply not using the recources it has available to it effeciently, as Win7 will.
Theres a difference.

AS far as gaming performance, I have found Win7 does just as well or better than XP in many cases.
Aside from some really old games, and even then only had a problem with a few.