View Full Version : Vista... Worth it?
I've played with a few beta releases at work, and it seems ok, but only if you've got a pretty hefty pc really. The version I'd be after is of course "ultimate", however I'm wondering whether or not it'll be worth it? I'm just very close to doing a rebuild of my PC, and the thought drains me somewhat but it's a good waste of a lonely winter's day - however when Vista is release in Jan next year I'm wondering if it would be worth going for that instead? ( I wouldn't do a rebuild until then as I don't have the time to do it before then).
I've read all the blurb about it and it does seem quite a step in the right direction - I think the interface is pretty too, even though it's a blatant rip off of Mac OSx. Who here is going to stick with Xp for a little while longer and who's going to take the plunge?
During my testing I've had little issues with drivers etc.. .and so far seems pretty stable - but a bit slow and clunky. But I guess Beta releases still need a bit of work... and also limited drivers still, and the PC wasn't top spec either.
In a way I quite like the different flavours of Vista available but at the same time I reckon most people will just end up forking out for ultimate edition as it just have everything - I don't know anyone who'd rather have one feature than the other...
It's either that or maybe look at going the Mac route with Parallels running...
I'd be curious about the OS simply as its new. However given the various security issues, and there will be LOADS (no matter what they say) I'll wait a service pack or two.
I'm also waiting for the OS to be *cough* to see if its worth bothering with ;) I haven't played with the betas so I can't really comment on whether it is any good.
Doesn't seem that long ago I finally switched to XP. Can't see me wanting Vista any time soon.
I'll be virtualising Vista at work because we've already declared our support for it and I now need to get our product compatible with Vista's security (works now if you turn the security off).
I'll also be ensuring that future hardware purchases are Vista-compatible (even if it doesn't run all the fancy graphics), but that's not really a problem as with one exception my hardware already is to varying degrees (I turn my nose up at anything with less than 1GB RAM).
And that's it. I don't see the point in spending several hundred £££ to replace something that I'm perfectly happy with. Unless you're a gamer and need DX10 (and even that's some way off being a requirement), then I see no point unless you want to boast about it on an internet forum. :)
Thats the annoyance for me, I am a gamer and I want dx10 :D Simply for supreme commander dual screen rts goodness. Farcry looks good, but I really want to see supreme commander
edit: Also the new UT, definately the new ut
I may well just do a re-install of my xp x64 then when I can face it... maybe a lazy post christmas day...
well im on it now,build 6000 RTM and i love it rock solid no crashes
i just hope that companies like creative pull their fingers out and get good drivers sorted , the sound card drivers were the only thing that i had to install as they couldnt get them finished in time for RTM :rolleyes:
Someone been naughty? ;)
Therein lies the problem - drivers - especially for the x64 version.
me naughty :undecided:
never :p
Someone been naughty? ;)
Therein lies the problem - drivers - especially for the x64 version.
I thought vista was supposed to be compatible for x64 systems?
Beansprout
13-11-2006, 22:57
I don't see the need to upgrade to Vista rally...I got XP ASAP when it was released since 98 was unstable and horrible.....but XP is fine, and nothing in Vista grabs me.
My PC here is perfectly stable, and works. Sorted :)
I might upgrade if the university gets Vista licenses, though....as a Tech student we're entitled to a whole bunch of stuff for nothing :) (MSDN sub, I suppose)
I might upgrade if the university gets Vista licenses, though....as a Tech student we're entitled to a whole bunch of stuff for nothing :) (MSDN sub, I suppose)
It's handy being a tech student :D I doubt my Uni will give us vista licenses though :(
I'll only upgrade when I can see a decent benefit to it. Right now I'm happy with XP and I'm not hugely excited about PC games that require DX10, guess I'm not as much of a PC Gamer as I used to be.
leowyatt
13-11-2006, 23:02
Personally I only use Windows at work and that is XP, at home I have my iBook so personally won't be using Vista.
Flibster
13-11-2006, 23:20
I thought vista was supposed to be compatible for x64 systems?
All drivers should be digitally signed in order to be used on Vista.
In order for them to be digitally signed, it is required that the driver pack should contain both a 32 and 64 bit driver.
Been running it at work since pre RC1.
Got the RTM of MSDN running on a couple of machines at work and it's lovely. My XP64 box at work will be dualbooting next week as well once I get the second HDD in.
Not keen on Glass, but with all the extra crap switched off it's zippyfast.
Simon/~Flibster
Dymetrie
13-11-2006, 23:31
The only thing I want Vista for is the DX10 support in about a year when Eve has the 'Kali' client running properly on DX10 (it's gonna be purty)... but even then, Phoenix does what I want and does it bloody well so I'm not overly bothered...
There's also the point that it's gonna cost me a helluva lot to upgrade my rig (still happily 32bit here) and it's not something I can afford for what is basically no need at the moment (or even the near moments)...
No enterprise should be looking to roll it out (activation required for volume licenses?! Bill's having a larf), but that of course isnt the question. I'm very tempted to backup the media center and see if the Vista version in Ultimate improves on it, but other than that I wont be upgrading any of my systems, at home or at work. There's just no need, XP is pretty secure these days and very stable, and I will gain nothing from moving to vista other than lots of bugs to patch in the short term.
Give it 12-18 months before looking at it seriously I'd say. Aim for SP1.
I have to say I'm dead impressed with my x64 pc it does work very very well.
I guess this is a case of if it ain't broke...
It's annoying how arsey they are becoming with driver signing now - so much for bespoke hardware and non standard hardware... bah long live win 2000! :D
Hmmm the Pentium Mac is looking more appealing by the minute....
Oh, I would also object to saying it looks like OS X. I may not like the Mac, but even I'd say that's an insult to it ;)
I didn't say it looked like it - I said it was ripping it off. ;) Or trying to be like a Mac and failing to look quite as cool ;)
Stan_Lite
13-11-2006, 23:53
I won't be upgrading any of my current systems with it but I intend building a new "uber" gaming rig when the native quad core chips and R600 are out so I will probably put Vista on that so that I'm ready with DX10 for when UT2007 comes out :D
Stan :)
semi-pro waster
14-11-2006, 00:43
I'd consider Vista when I build my next PC, probably sometime in a year or so which is likely to coincide with SP1 fortunately, at a guess, but XP does me very nicely as it is pretty solid and stable and by the time SP1 is out DX10 might be useful. The only reason I'd consider upgrading sooner is if my computer knackers itself and that is a distinct possibility since at least two of the hard drives have started clicking on occasion.
Got the RTM of MSDN
Thanks. Been watching MSDN but forgot to check today. Some bedtime downloading. :)
Oh, I would also object to saying it looks like OS X. I may not like the Mac, but even I'd say that's an insult to it ;)
The man himself (Steve Jobs) even said it - but he did add the caveat that it's still a couple of steps behind (or at least that's true for Leopard). :)
I didn't say it looked like it - I said it was ripping it off. ;) Or trying to be like a Mac and failing to look quite as cool ;)
It really is yeah and it needs like 3x the hardware to be as cool. MS always seem to add things just to make it look fancy whereas Apple seem to add things to complement features. It never feels OTT on OSX. At the mo my XP machine does its job. Its basically my old gaming box. Macbook Pro for work, Mac Mini for downloads and A64 system for games. It needs a new gfx card and another stick of ram to bring it back from being totally useless. I doubt I'll stick Vista on it if the 800mb of ram at idle "feature" is true.
http://www.peachpitcommons.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/Vista.jpg
:D
Beansprout
14-11-2006, 03:12
I doubt I'll stick Vista on it if the 800mb of ram at idle "feature" is true.
Linux sucks up all the available system RAM wherever possible, but nobody seems to yell about that.
No point having the RAM if it's not in use! Of course, how well Vista will do it is another question :)
All this said, though, I ran Vista in a VM with 256Mb RAM and it ran absolutely fine, though I didn't exactly do much :)
I will probably switch to it in about six months or so, it'll run on my PC and I've had a quick play with RC1 and it seems ok to me.
I disagree that most people will want Ultimate though, Premium only lacks Remote Desktop and Meeting Place so I think that Premium will certainly suit me and most people.
leowyatt
14-11-2006, 10:29
http://www.peachpitcommons.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/Vista.jpg
:D
Reminds me of this
http://www.badasszebedee.com/photos/RedmondStartYourPhotocopiers.jpg :D
I guess you're right about ultimate edition. Though I'd probably go for business edition, remote desktop is really useful. I'm less bothered about media stuff as I don't really do media stuff.
Reminds me of this
:D
Bwahahaha I like.
Now that the mac's are intel powered i'm seriously considering getting a mac mini as a media centre machine.
Premium only lacks Remote Desktop and Meeting Place
And Media Center if I'm not mistaken?
And echo Beany. I have no problem with anything grabbing system memory, so long as it's doing it for a reason.
Nope, according to last months PC Plus, the Premium version does have Media Centre.
It could be lying, or just mistaken. :dunno:
semi-pro waster
14-11-2006, 12:23
Nope, according to last months PC Plus, the Premium version does have Media Centre.
It could be lying, or just mistaken. :dunno:
According to the Microsoft website (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/editions/default.mspx) the Premium edition has Media Centre so I'd reckon PC Plus were right. :)
//edit just had a look at the suggested prices $400 for Ultimate edition and $240 for Premium, that settles my staying on XP for the foreseeable future then.
Holy ****, that's stupid money. Is there any wonder people would rather rip it off than buy it.
Selling at a lower price would ensure more sales. I'd pay £20 for an OS but probably not a lot more than that. Luckily I've always been able to get them through work as 'support' copies but not sure if I can do that with Vista. I certainly won't pay those prices.
It may seem expensive but in their defence its something that you'll use every day for the next 3-5 years. If it cost £200 thats not too expensive considering how much you'll be using it. If you paid £5 per month for 5 years that'd be £300. Its about the same price as a decent gfx card, cpu, bag of memory, harddrive, etc. Just as essential. OSX is nicely priced at around £80 every 2 years.
My laptop has a sticker on it which says "Vista Capable" - but that just means it's capable... probably run dog slow on it :p
I'd be interested to see a highly optimised system running Vista. Though I have to say that XP x64 is dead quick at home - I'd be gutted to install anything on it which was slower to use.
My laptop has a sticker on it which says "Vista Capable" - but that just means it's capable... probably run dog slow on it :p
I'd be a bit suspicious of that too. Had to go into PC world with my housemate and her bf because they wanted my advice on a laptop (My original advice was do NOT go into PC world for a laptop but did they listen, nah) and all their laptops had vista capable on, including one that was £300 and had a via c3 chip that looked like it'd be dog slow for XP let alone vista :huh:
I'm holding off for a few service packs at least. Probably till my next major hardware upgrade.
If I decide to upgrade my pc ever (which seldom happens) I might do it then. I'd rather save for a house and holidays first though! :D
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/editions/default.mspx
There's te MS blurb comparing versions. You were right Feek :)
I have an AMD64 system, but I'm still running XP home on it... I really need to get a 64bit OS running, was hoping vista would do the trick... :undecided:
Windows XP x64 is not bad - I've been thrilled with it myself. :)
The Vista x64 betas were driver hell due to the signing rules, so for at least the time being XP x64 may well be the better option.
If I get the time tomorrow, I'm going to have a play with the copy of Vista Business that just finished downloading.
I expect I'll fetch down a copy fairly soon and shove it into VMWare on the laptop (my main VMWare machine isn't fast enough - part of the reason I'm after a new laptop - though the IT director is dragging his heels, so I expect I'm going to get a 'no' to that).
ok.. so I may have to purchase xp pro x64 then... Would I see much benefit on an amd dual core 4400?
Unless you have a specific use for it you probably wont see any benefit dude. I made a FAQ on OcUK once, might still be there (in Orids sticky iirc).
Unless you have a specific use for it you probably wont see any benefit dude. I made a FAQ on OcUK once, might still be there (in Orids sticky iirc).
well - I need another copy of windoze for other compooter...so I figured I may as well purchase a 64 bit OS for the 64 bit system...:D
So long as you can get drivers you should be fine then dude. It's mature enough for anyone who's reasonably computer literate these days, any hiccups you may find with software are likely to be either documented or fixed :)
I've found x64 to be slick and work really well on my xp4400+ with 2gb of ram. I have to say I'm dead impressed with it. :shocked:
I think I'll pickup the ultimate edition. I probably won't use all of the stuff, but I know after a while I'll want to mess with the extra bits.
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