Upgrade to Windows Vista Ultimate?

[akasixcon]

So I have money to spare and want something fun and something that makes life easier. From what I've researched, I'm thinking of upgrading to Windows Vista.

My only concern are its disadvatages.

I'm a computer-savvy person and am willing to resolve problems as long as they are problems that can be fixed. I spend most of my days (12 hours) on the computer browsing websites, playing video games and editing in photoshop and adobe premiere pro. I'm planning to upgrade to the Conroe chip pretty soon and with that upgrade I want Windows Vista.

My computer specs are 2.8ghz p4 , 2gb ddr ram, 512mb video 7600gs.

I'm assuming the Adobe series won't have any problems with vista right? Thats my only concern. Of course I also play Warcraft 3 and C&C 3 and those should not be a bothersome for vista right?

(From windwos xp pro)

 

[KSoD]

Your specs are fine. I have installed and used Adobe Creative Suite CS2 and Adobe Design CS3 with no problem using either of them.

Warcraft 3 plays jsut fine in Vista. C&C 3 should be just fine if Warcraft 3 works just fine.

 

[akasixcon]

Any slowdowns for the Adobe CS2 and Design CS3 compared from WIN XP? Also should I install Vista on a different partition to have dual boot or is it safe to completely upgrade to Vista (meaning you can easily go back and revert and damages / errors it makes)?

 

[Riznarf]

Here's my view on Vista from a previous thread:

Haha, thanks nitestick. Here's an afterthought on Vista for all you wonderchildren out there: (did I just use wonderchildren in a tech forum?)

Ok, so I had vista...for about a month. And here's a more detailed version of my view for all those thinking of "upgrading", although I'm sure most of you have already formulated your own opinions.

Main point: Vista is at best, OK. It doe's steal away about 100MB of ram, as i posted above in an idle state when compared to XP Pro. You might want to get MemTurbo to help out with that. Also, the aero feature they hype up, which gives your desktop, among other things a 3D feel is...cool, but kind of useless since alot of things don't support it. Another con is the added crappy security. Let's not lie folks, if you're reading this, then you probably know a thing or two about computer security. Get AntiVirus, firewall, antispyware/malware. Don't be stupid...the new Vista security features are a neusience. In order to get complete functionality out of some programs you'll need to 'Run as Administrator' or, confirm with Vista about three thousand times, that, yes you actually do want to open firefox. The right third party programs, ZoneAlarm, McAfee, etc... can do a far better job at protecting your computer than Vista can.

Alright, here's a good thing. DirectX 10. I know theres alot of hype up aboot it, mainly that nothing really supports it yet, (although I think the geforce 8 series do...don't quote me on that) but many games to come will start featuring DX10.

Heres the gist:

In my opinion at least, Vista's cons far outweigh its pros, and is not even worth the time needed to install it. Stay away from Vista until you can't find a copy of XP around anymore or they come out with a better version. (on that note, save your XP Cd's.) If you MUST have vista, disable the sec'y features, get some good, reliable third party programs, and get ready to be frustrated. Good luck...you're gonna need it.

See http://www.techist.com/forums/f10/vista-whoring-nearly-half-my-ram-needlessly-142293/ for more.

P.S. Vista would only run about 1/3 of the games the first time without any tweaking.

 

[atomic tofu]

all negative comments attributed to Vista, could be applied to W95, 98, and XP....progress and process of evolution.

Progress is good, that's why we have the Conroes, dual core is good...

backward mentality are why nobody has fully jumped on 64bit for mainstream mass market...

Wouldn't that be an awesome world if all the makers and consumers fully supported 64bits instead of saying..."let me wait"....and wait...and wait...ad nauseam, ad infinitum

strangely enough, ppl keep on talking about Vista whoring ram when they actually have no clue what it is doing or what they are talking about.

Ask the Performance Team : Windows Vista - SuperFetch & ReadyBoost

Ironically, and sadly, after reading that...some people still wouldn't understand

 

[KSoD]

Any slowdowns for the Adobe CS2 and Design CS3 compared from WIN XP? Also should I install Vista on a different partition to have dual boot or is it safe to completely upgrade to Vista (meaning you can easily go back and revert and damages / errors it makes)?

There is a bit of slow down. I run with 3GB and a 3.4GHz CPU. XP is a bit faster but Vista is still good. It doesnt have such a slowdown that i would say dont do it.

Personally i dual boot. I would suggest the same. Upgrading is always a craps shoot. If there happens to be anything wrong, known or unknown, can cause havoc on your install.

This way you can have XP to fall back on if you are not totally happy, at first with Vista. But i think you will be.

 

[akasixcon]

If you bought a new computer and WinXP Pro and Vista Ultimate were $150 , which one would you buy?

I'm asking this as price shouldn't be the case when it comes to quality. Specially when you have money to spare. I'm looking for something fun and new. If vista makes it easier than XP then why not?

Since I will be dual-booting I will be using Vista for everyday needs then whenever I want to get serious with work I just switch back to XP for Adobe Series.

I just don't understand the bad and negative things about Vista and thats what I'm trying to find out. I've heard many people say its bad then again I hear to many say its good.

 

[KSoD]

If i had a choice i would choose Vista everytime. I love it. I have used it primarily as my OS since it was RC1. There are a few quirks to get used to. Like where some file locations are. The User files are located different along with applicaiton profiles. But overall Vista is great.

Dual booting is a good option. But you dont have to go back to XP for serious work. Adobe will work just fine in Vista. There isnt even much of a lag that you will notice. At least i havent.

People have said bad thigns about XP when it was released. Same for Vista. They are just scared of change after 6years.

 

[akasixcon]

Thanks for the encouragement. Yeah everyone seems to be dissing Microsoft nowadays because of their long reign.

 

[Alvin.C]

Go for it akasixcon :happy:. Even your current system specs are good enough.

As Makaveli213 advised, I too would avoid transitioning to Vista by upgrading from XP. As with all Operating Systems, it's better to do a clean install of Windows Vista than a upgrade, if you decide not to do a dual boot configuration with your current Windows XP OS.

...strangely enough, ppl keep on talking about Vista whoring ram when they actually have no clue what it is doing or what they are talking about.

Ask the Performance Team : Windows Vista - SuperFetch & ReadyBoost

Ironically, and sadly, after reading that...some people still wouldn't understand

I know it's fustrating :sharp_teeth:! People are too adjusted to Windows XP's less effective prefetcher, too adjusted to seeing free RAM in Windows XP's task manager, and too adjusted to the thought that there always being a lot of system memory free is a good thing without logically thinking how ineffective and wasteful system memory is...if it is not being used, even at idle states.

Some people are just resistant to change, find it difficult to understand Vista's prefetching concepts, or are just too subjective. The same sceptical and subjective behaviour was observable when Windows XP was released, and when users began upgrading from older Windows versions - now look how popular Windows XP is amongst users.