Which is a better operating system for gaming and also which is better in general: Windows 7 or Windows XP?

Question

I like computer games such as Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights 2, F.E.A.R., The Sims, The Sims 2, The Sims 3, etc. I'm not the most literate person when it comes to computers but I would say I am above average. I heard Windows 7 is very, very, very good; maybe the best. I have also heard though that Windows XP is the best for gaming and such. Someone please tell me which is better for games and which is better in general. Explain in detail but try to explain in terms for a layman in computers to understand. Please and thank you.

Answer 1

XP is a tiny, tiny bit faster running most 3D games. The difference is measurable in synthetic benchmarks but not noticeable when actually playing games. Many gamers still prefer XP because it is a mature operating system, and new games sometimes have hiccups when installed on Windows 7 machines, before the problems are reported and patches released. Basically XP is a bit more stable running games, but this situation will improve as game designers learn more about compatibility with 7. It's still a relatively new operating system and coders are still learning how to make their games play nice with XP, Vista and 7 all at the same time.



In overall terms, I would recommend 7. I have it on a 6-month old gaming PC that I had custom built as well as a gateway laptop that I got the same day, after using XP since 2003. I love 7, and I have had no problems playing Crysis, COD: MW2, the Need for Speed games or GTA IV. The biggest reason why I wouldn't recommend XP anymore, even though it's a great OS, is that Microsoft has already announced an end date for future support. Meaning no more Windows Updates after that time, which will leave systems vulnerable to newly discovered hacker exploits. And I'm security paranoid. At least for me, Windows 7 does everything that XP did, and does it just as well. It does it with an updated look and does a better job of multitasking. If you're looking to eke out every last tenth or hundredth of a frame per second, maybe go with XP but I'd stick with 7. And make sure you order the 64-bit version, because there's no reason to order 32-bit if you are using any modern CPU.

Answer 2

Windows 7 would be your best option. It is supposed to consume much less memory (ram) than vista and is much more updated than XP. XP is older and therefore a little out dated however the quality of the game play is going to be determined by the specs of your computer (Screen Resolution, Ram, Video Card, Etc...) and not so much on the operating system. I would still suggest Windows 7 over XP because the operating system is new and has some great features.

Answer 3

xp