awdrifter

I'm building a new comp to replace my sig rig, right now I'm using XP SP2 32 bit, I'm considering going to 64 bit because some programs are supposed to run better in 64 bit, and my new rig will have 4GBs of ram.

Spec:
Q6600 (aiming for 3-3.2ghz)
4GB (2x2GB) Patriot DDRII PC6400
Sapphire HD4850 (will add another one later on)
Hitachi 500GB HDD

Now two of my main concerns are overclock stability and compatibility (program and drivers). I've read that 64 bit Windows require a more stable overclock, people have to lower their oc when switching to 64bit. Is that true?

I have very limited experience with Vista 64 bit, I've only installed a few programs for my friend's laptop that came with Vista 64 bit. The 32 bit only programs seems to know how to automatically installed to the 32 bit Program File folder, and they work correctly. But how about drivers (especially video card drivers) and video card overclocking tools, will they still work in a 64 bit OS? What else do I need to look out for?

Vista 64 bit vs. XP 64 bit
I hate the Vista's interface and how everything is located differently than XP, it's much less intuitive. I've read that Vista 64 requires all drivers to be signed, seeing that I have a lot of hardwares that don't have a signed driver, this will be a problem for me. Is there any "third party patch" that will remove this limitation?

I heard that the XP 64's driver support is even poorer than Vista 64, and it's less stable. Is it true?

Sorry for this long post, but I'm just trying to weigh my options for the new comp since I don't want to install an OS that will give me headaches later on, but at the same time I feel like using XP 32 bit is wasting the new comp's potential a bit. Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance.

The Mad Mule

M'kay, avoid XP x64 at all costs. It was basically a test-run for Microsoft in how a x64 OS architecture would work. Vista x64 is an OS that I, and many others, have run for awhile without any issues.

Don't worry about the thing of drivers having to be signed, most drivers are, and I never came across a needed program that didn't have a signed driver.

I'm not sure if running x64 limits your OC'ing ceiling, but I know for sure that it's my mobo that has a FSB hole in it, and it's not my OS that's screwing with me.

Compatibility with x86 programs are great. I actually never need to turn on compatibility mode for anything, including Starcraft, IIRC (I know I don't have to with Warcraft III...).

So yes, do go with Vista x64, you'll have a blast.

legendor

Yep. Go with Vista 64.

m3th0d

I shared the same worries before I switched over. But all I gotta say now is, I'm so glad I made the switch. If your hardware can handle it, definitely go for it! You won't be disappointed.

tonyhague

same here, avoided vista at all costs, wiped it from friends/families new PCs to put xp on, then build a half decent pc and went vista64, no problems so far except my epson r200 printer now refuses to print onto dvds

__________________

British Overclockers Club

awdrifter

That's good to hear. The only thing I'm still kinda worried is the driver signing, is there any way to disable it at all? Thanks.

TheFlyingWallaby

I have plenty of drivers that aren't singed (I buy A LOT of cheap no-name hardware clones) and I haven't had many major problems. It was by no means smooth, but nothing completely didn't work.

__________________
The Flying Wallaby strikes again!

awdrifter

Thanks. Another question, how much of a performance hit in gaming with Vista? I heard it's more optimized now so the difference between Vista and XP isn't that big anymore. Is that true?

BinaryDemon

I am a few weeks new to Vista64 here myself. So far I have only encountered 2 programs that hit a snag with the signed driver issue- ATI Tray Tools, and Rightmark CPU clock. There might have been workarounds available. I didn't do alot of research. I figured it wasnt worth the effort and uninstalled them.

I don't know about the overclock thing, I never tried to install x86 and 64bit OS's on the same machine.

__________________
In a quad core world, dual core is the new celeron...

awdrifter

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. The driver signing thing. I guess I'll try to see if there is a workaround for it, if not, I'll stick with XP. Thanks for the replies.