Is Vista really necessary

ijd

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I have really been split over whether to upgrade or not, I was thinking about unlocking the 64bit potential of my AMD 64 bit processor . However as i am currently using XP home edition which is only 32 bit it means having to get either the full retail version or at least the OEM and looking at various sites on the internet it would seem i will encounter many compatibility issues as most hardware cannot cope with 64bit, XP does seem to do everything I want from surfing the net to complete media, IE playing movies and music either DVD/CD or downloaded, Storing all my photos`it displays on my, monitor,tv or projector and sound comes from eiter my desktop speakers or theater system, and with my anti virus & spyware programmes it seems very secure.
What I really would like to know is what are the benefits of vista, is it faster?
Are there any features that XP does not have that is really a must Have or is it just XP in a pretty new cover?
sorry if this has already been covered here but i have researched this quite a lot and cannot find any real answers,
 
A 64bit OS only means it can address over 4GB of RAM. With Vista 64 this means at the expense of compatibility etc.

The main functional distinction bw XP and Vista is that Vista has DirectX 10 and there are zero must have DX10 only game titles now or due in the near future.

Vista has some different features in the GUI but nothing amazng.

Edit: if you ever want to play HDCP protected content at full detail then you'll need Vista.
 
Well I'm going to get Vista 64 an 4gb ram soon, mainly because I play FSX alot and with them releasing the DX10 patch soon I want the "full" experience.

But I'm going to keep XP on dual boot as theres still alot of apps I use on there which won't work in vista, my printer hasn't even got a driver yet (typical HP on the make). But I guess this way I can slowly move over to vista.

Its up to you really if you’re not after a new look and don't need any new features yet then stay with xp and wait until you really want it.
 
Edit: if you ever want to play HDCP protected content at full detail then you'll need Vista.

Not true. I am playing HD-dvds and BluRay on a dual core 4600+ with on board 6150 graphics at 1920 x 1080 50Hz, with no issues at all on an XP MCE machine and PowerDVD Utlra.

HDCP is ONLY needed if you are using a digital connection to an external monitor/TV. VGA does not use HDCP, not do laptops and their integral screen. If you use AnyDVD-HD this will also disable HDPC even with DVI/HDMI.
 
Thanks for all your replies guy`s, cannot justify the money for the aero look so i will just stick with XP, it does all I need it to at the moment, and i cannot see what vista could do for me except pretty up my monitor.
 
I have been using 64 bit Vista for about 6 months now. No problems what so ever. Its in the lounge as the families main HTPC, so it has to be flawless otherwise my life would be filled with ear ache.
 
Thanks for all your replies guy`s, cannot justify the money for the aero look so i will just stick with XP, it does all I need it to at the moment, and i cannot see what vista could do for me except pretty up my monitor.

You ask is Vista really necessary, depends on your outlook, if you are looking to the future, then yes, if you're happy with what you have, then it has to be no.
"Pretty up the monitor" is a typical response by those that only see the surface features, you need to look deeper for a true perspective.
 
I bought a laptop vista 3 months ago and was very happy with my purchase for sometimes. but things started to not work quite right one month ago, the picture slideshows now take too long to upload opening a file takes too long and when i try to run spyware doctor, it start the system scan and after 5 minutes, windows shuts down saying an error occured....arghhhhhh!!!
 
You ask is Vista really necessary, depends on your outlook, if you are looking to the future, then yes, if you're happy with what you have, then it has to be no.
"Pretty up the monitor" is a typical response by those that only see the surface features, you need to look deeper for a true perspective.

But that is what i am asking, what are the must have features, I would only be interested in the 64 bit as i would like to unleash my processors potential, but how can i check my hardware compatibility for the 64 bit, the only software issue i would have is nero 7, which can easily be overcome, but the other peripherals is what i am interested in,
 
I bought a laptop vista 3 months ago and was very happy with my purchase for sometimes. but things started to not work quite right one month ago, the picture slideshows now take too long to upload opening a file takes too long and when i try to run spyware doctor, it start the system scan and after 5 minutes, windows shuts down saying an error occured....arghhhhhh!!!

The thing is when you buy a pc with vista on, it is made for vista, I built my own pc and many of the components are pre vista, and it is the affect on these i am concerned about.
 
But that is what i am asking, what are the must have features, I would only be interested in the 64 bit as i would like to unleash my processors potential, but how can i check my hardware compatibility for the 64 bit, the only software issue i would have is nero 7, which can easily be overcome, but the other peripherals is what i am interested in,

Check your hardware compabilty here.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx
 

Thanks for that, however i have already done that, it does not quote for 64 bit though, and as i get all systems go except my nero i am unsure whether it covers the 64 bit application.
I see from your vista specs you are running ultimate 32 and yet you have a 64 bit processor, as ultimate comes with both 32 and 64 bit versions can i ask why you did not choose the 64 bit version?
 
64 bit still has problems, 32 is much more reliable in regard to support.
 
I run Vista Ultimate 64bit and just upgraded to 8gb ram. Up from 4gb.

I also have XP on there as a dual boot, but rarely boot into XP nowadays. Theres just no need. I have all the drivers for my components and they all work flawlessly. I use the PC to play games mostly. No problems there either !

Overall I would say 64bit runs faster and smoother than 32bit.

Its definately for the future though.

Your best bet would be to go through all your components and check whether the manufacturer has 64bit drivers for them before deciding whether to go 64bit.

My PC was also self built
 
Thanks for that, however i have already done that, it does not quote for 64 bit though, and as i get all systems go except my nero i am unsure whether it covers the 64 bit application.
I see from your vista specs you are running ultimate 32 and yet you have a 64 bit processor, as ultimate comes with both 32 and 64 bit versions can i ask why you did not choose the 64 bit version?

Check out my HTPC thats running 64 bit. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
 
Not true. I am playing HD-dvds and BluRay on a dual core 4600+ with on board 6150 graphics at 1920 x 1080 50Hz, with no issues at all on an XP MCE machine and PowerDVD Utlra.

HDCP is ONLY needed if you are using a digital connection to an external monitor/TV. VGA does not use HDCP, not do laptops and their integral screen. If you use AnyDVD-HD this will also disable HDPC even with DVI/HDMI.

So if I build a HTPC and I want to view 1920x1080 I will have to use Vista because my TV can only do 1920x1080 via HDMI. It cannot do it via VGA.

So I need HDCP from Vista. Is this correct?

Thanks in advance.
 
So if I build a HTPC and I want to view 1920x1080 I will have to use Vista because my TV can only do 1920x1080 via HDMI. It cannot do it via VGA.

So I need HDCP from Vista. Is this correct?

Thanks in advance.

I am using XP and outputting 1920 x 1080 via a DVI to HDMI cable - so the answer is NO!

HDCP is ONLY needed if you are using a digital connection to an external monitor/TV. VGA does not use HDCP. If you use AnyDVD-HD this will also disable HDPC even with DVI/HDMI
 

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