Vista x64 vs. XP x64 for gaming and VMware Fusion.

[9007938]

I've been reading a lot of threads here but there seems to be quite a bit of confusion.

I'm buying myself (and my wife) each a top end iMac, 3.06GHz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA 8800GS, etc. We both do gaming and will be running them via Boot Camp.

However, we also have some other things we need Windows for that we would want to use quickly and efficiently without rebooting (I sync my BlackBerry with Windows, she syncs her Zune, neither are easily compatible with Mac if at all so we want to use Windows via VMware Fusion).

1. Which 64 bit OS would be better for us using Windows in both worlds like that?

2. I've heard that Vista x64 has issues installing and requires some tweaking, I've also heard of people having reactivation issues, and that the Aero skin doesn't work in VMware Fusion so next time you boot back via Boot Camp it will remain disabled even though I would want to use it within Boot Camp most likely (if not, that isn't a huge deal I just want it to work well)? Oh, and our Vista disk is Home Premium and is NOT an SP1 disk, some people seem to claim only the SP1 disk has this issue.

3. If SP1 IS the issue, can you update to SP1 after installing stock Vista? Or will using SP1 in any capacity not work well/require some tweaking or updates?

4. I want to get the most painless experience possible with the best performance, and Vista will be getting constant improvements whereas XP is at the end of the line. Plus I'm IT so I need to learn Vista anyway even though I don't like it... So which 64 bit OS will work best for both my gaming and emulation within OS X itself for things like our Zune/Blackberry?

Your help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[Eidorian]

1. Vista 64-bit

2. Please don't consider using VMWare for gaming.

3. Most Vista discs out right now should already have SP 1 on them.

 

[9007938]

1. Vista 64-bit

2. Please don't consider using VMWare for gaming.

3. Most Vista discs out right now should already have SP 1 on them.

1. Thanks.

2. I'm not, if you read we are syncing our Zune/BlackBerry since we don't want to have to boot into Windows for quick/easy operations like that.

3. We got our Home Premium disk at launch (as I said above) so it is not SP1.

 

[ninjapenguinart]

I've been reading a lot of threads here but there seems to be quite a bit of confusion.

I'm buying myself (and my wife) each a top end iMac, 3.06GHz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA 8800GS, etc. We both do gaming and will be running them via Boot Camp.

However, we also have some other things we need Windows for that we would want to use quickly and efficiently without rebooting (I sync my BlackBerry with Windows, she syncs her Zune, neither are easily compatible with Mac if at all so we want to use Windows via VMware Fusion).

1. Which 64 bit OS would be better for us using Windows in both worlds like that?

2. I've heard that Vista x64 has issues installing and requires some tweaking, I've also heard of people having reactivation issues, and that the Aero skin doesn't work in VMware Fusion so next time you boot back via Boot Camp it will remain disabled even though I would want to use it within Boot Camp most likely (if not, that isn't a huge deal I just want it to work well)? Oh, and our Vista disk is Home Premium and is NOT an SP1 disk, some people seem to claim only the SP1 disk has this issue.

3. If SP1 IS the issue, can you update to SP1 after installing stock Vista? Or will using SP1 in any capacity not work well/require some tweaking or updates?

4. I want to get the most painless experience possible with the best performance, and Vista will be getting constant improvements whereas XP is at the end of the line. Plus I'm IT so I need to learn Vista anyway even though I don't like it... So which 64 bit OS will work best for both my gaming and emulation within OS X itself for things like our Zune/Blackberry?

Your help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

I was curious about Vista x64 as well. . . so I borrowed a friend's copy if vista x64 with sp1 pre-installed, because that's the only kind of vista you can get now and days. Well bootcamp doesn't recognize vista x64 with sp 1 so you gotta go through the files on the cd to install them your self, and then you gotta find updated drivers for the graphics card, and then the keyboard doesn't fully work, like the f button special commands. Sure Vista will have direct x 10 which allows more stuff to happen in the background and it look a bit nicer, but for that trouble it aint worth it. Also, you might have 4 gigs of ram and it shows that you have 4 gigs, but just running the dang thing takes up 1 gig. Luckily I backed up Win XP sp 3 x86 so I am going to go back to that today.

 

[9007938]

I was curious about Vista x64 as well. . . so I borrowed a friend's copy if vista x64 with sp1 pre-installed, because that's the only kind of vista you can get now and days. Well bootcamp doesn't recognize vista x64 with sp 1 so you gotta go through the files on the cd to install them your self, and then you gotta find updated drivers for the graphics card, and then the keyboard doesn't fully work, like the f button special commands. Sure Vista will have direct x 10 which allows more stuff to happen in the background and it look a bit nicer, but for that trouble it aint worth it. Also, you might have 4 gigs of ram and it shows that you have 4 gigs, but just running the dang thing takes up 1 gig. Luckily I backed up Win XP sp 3 x86 so I am going to go back to that today.

That sounds really annoying. Do you know if the same problems happen if you install stock Vista x64 then download the SP1 patch? Do you know if this issue will be fixed in the future (and is it Apple's or Microsoft's problem to fix)?

So XP x64 works fine? I have Windows XP Pro x32 (full retail copy) do you know how I can upgrade to x64? With Vista I just mailed MS $10 or so and a request sheet and they sent it out to me...but I'm not sure how that will work since I think XP is discontinued and I don't want to have to buy the whole thing again. Thanks.

 

[ninjapenguinart]

That sounds really annoying. Do you know if the same problems happen if you install stock Vista x64 then download the SP1 patch? Do you know if this issue will be fixed in the future (and is it Apple's or Microsoft's problem to fix)?

So XP x64 works fine? I have Windows XP Pro x32 (full retail copy) do you know how I can upgrade to x64? With Vista I just mailed MS $10 or so and a request sheet and they sent it out to me...but I'm not sure how that will work since I think XP is discontinued and I don't want to have to buy the whole thing again. Thanks.

Just go XP Pro 32 bit for the time being, because 64 bit XP is horrid. If bootcamp 2.2 supports Vista x64 SP 1 then you might not mind switching just for how nice the games look, but until that time comes Vista is a no go. Also, I have heard of some people being able to do Vista x64 with out SP 1 and then going to SP 1 and stil lbe fine with bootcamp. I believe there is a thread some where on here that explains how to do it.

 

[9007938]

Just go XP Pro 32 bit for the time being, because 64 bit XP is horrid. If bootcamp 2.2 supports Vista x64 SP 1 then you might not mind switching just for how nice the games look, but until that time comes Vista is a no go. Also, I have heard of some people being able to do Vista x64 with out SP 1 and then going to SP 1 and stil lbe fine with bootcamp. I believe there is a thread some where on here that explains how to do it.

Why is XP so horrible in 64 bit? The main reason I want 64 bit is so that it can take advantage of all 4GB of RAM my computer will have. Any idea how often Boot Camp releases come out or when the next version is expected? I'll search for that other thread you mentioned too. Thanks for the info.

 

[jerryrock]

Vista 64bit with SP1 can be installed using BootCamp (without modification) on 2008 models of MacPro and MacBook Pro.

I have it installed and working beautifully on my 2008 MacBook Pro.

The Vista64 SP1 DVD will not boot my 2007 MacPro. I have not found a workable solution to get it installed. I imagine the same would apply for the iMac.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1846

 

[9007938]

Well considering I'm getting an iMac I guess mine isn't officially supported. What's the reason for this? Are they planning on fixing it in the future?

 

[kkat69]

Why is XP so horrible in 64 bit? The main reason I want 64 bit is so that it can take advantage of all 4GB of RAM my computer will have. Any idea how often Boot Camp releases come out or when the next version is expected? I'll search for that other thread you mentioned too. Thanks for the info.

The biggest problem with XP64 is that when it came out software AND hardware companies weren't ready for it. So drivers were very limited and a lot of software had issues with it. It grew better over time but the mentality at that time was that the user base was so small it wasn't worth investing the time to ensure a huge compatibility market. In the advent of Vista this came more to light, that the user base on vista was worth the investment.

XP64 really isn't that bad. I fail to see why people blame the OS when the hardware doesn't work when in fact the manufacturer failed to develop the drivers. My XP64 ran pretty much any game I played and ran it great. I had a hard time getting hardware to work or finding compatible hardware... hmmmmmm come to think of it, doesn't that sound like what people had to do for VISTA?

 

[Stridder44]

1. Vista 64-bit

2. Please don't consider using VMWare for gaming.

3. Most Vista discs out right now should already have SP 1 on them.

x2.

I've been running Vista 64 since SP1 came about and it's been awesome. The difference in fps in XP and Vista is...well, there isn't any. XP64 is a joke. Why would you invest in XP anyway? It's going to be EOL'd very very soon. Vista is not bad like some people make it out to be.

As far as 64-bit Boot Camp drivers, I didn't have any problems (but I have a new MBP). I've read many posts from people that have older Macs being able to get Vista 64 running perfectly on their system, so I imagine it isn't that difficult.

 

[9007938]

So I decided to go with the 32 bit versions of both XP and Vista (one on each of my machines) so that I have the least problems (plus I heard the 64 bit doesn't have much of an advantage and causes a lot of problems).

However my copy of XP is either stock or SP1, Boot Camp says it requires an SP2 disk or newer. How can I get a new copy of the disk to install it properly?

 

[Eidorian]

Slipstream!

http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/nlite.html

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/415765/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/407192/