XP to Vista - is it worth it?

[Flasche]

depends which

you can't use components (dll's, exe's) which call for API's that Vista doesn't have

I know that's why people made things like kernel-Ex for Windows Me. I'ma try and find this persons post. When I do I'll post it here.

[ROTS]

VIsta is just XP with all the fixes, and more spyware. Out of the box, it will keep scanning, which is a problem I am still having with my Vista. If you need it for work, then get it, but otherwise as a programmer, or person who does not want to deal with newer programs, do not get it..

Edited April 23, 2014 by ROTS

[TELVM]

... There are not (AFAIK and with the notable exception of a few very high end graphical/video oriented programs and possibly programs dealing with extremely large databases or very large numbers) any reliable report of 64 bit being in any way faster than 32 bit OS, actually available data hints that the performance of 64 bit and 32 bit programs is the same or very nearly the same, and in some case the 64 bit version is actually slower.

JFYI:

http://reboot.pro/topic/17568-what-advantage-hold-64-bit-programs-over-their-32-bit-version/

... the following types of applications are most likely to see performance benefits on Windows 7 x64 Edition, provided that both 64-bit application software and drivers are available:

• Applications that require mathematical precision and floating-point performance

Yep. Identical system with 16GB of memory, left W7 x86 RAM-unlimited, right W7 x64:

x64 manages more GFLOPS in less time.

... 64-bit versions of operating systems such as Windows Vista and Windows 7 are not automatically faster than their 32-bit counterparts. In some cases, they may even perform slower because of the larger pointers as well unrelated OS overhead ...

Yep, in some cases unlimited x86 is faster.

Also CPU temps and power draw are lower on unlimited x86 than on x64 (at least with a Phenom II Thuban X6).

[jaclaz]

Also CPU temps and power draw are lower on unlimited x86 than on x64 (at least with a Phenom II Thuban X6).

I am pretty sure that this applies to *any* hardware, speed=power=heat.

Think of all the 64bit processing power (and unused RAM, and increased power consumption) in the world because of the senseless shift ot 64 bit computing on "end-user" machines (used daily to do mainly e-mails, badly written reports on Word and lousy spredsheets on Excel, besides some browsing on the Internet).

Fortunately this is probably somehow compensated by the increase of smallish, less powerful, portable devices and the overall decrease of desktops.

jaclaz