Hey all, been a while since I was last around, I just thought the crew here would know best what i'm looking for.

Here is my rig.

Abit NF-8 v2
AMD 64 3000+
Albatron 6800 GT
2GB of Corsair XMS
firewire 400 PCI card
dual 80gig WD SATA hds (not Raid)

I'm looking for a stable, supported operating system that i can use for work and gaming. I'd also like it to be capable of syncing to my Xbox360, but i think that means either Vista or XP Pro 32, as x64 cannot run media-connect or whatever the heck it's called thus disabling it from sharing content with the 360.

What can you guys tell me about Linux? Is it stable enough for me to do all my freelance modeling and stuff on? Is it faster than windows? Is it faster than Vista?

What are your experiences with installing both 32 bit and 64 bit appz on Vista RC1, do they work?

I've already got both the 32 and 64 bit RC1 and i got a legit cd-key. I tried to install the RC1 on my second SATA drive and it mucked up my 64-bit xp that was running stable previously. I'm just so frustrated, i want one OS that will work, and not give me a ton of driver/version issues. But it seems like 64-bit computing is still not fully realized. what gives?

.d

Heya buddy...long time no see!

I am no "Linux" guy, but I keep hearing "Ubuntu" is the most user friendly version, and I did a quick google search and found they have a 64 bit version.

Raspberry Home - Ubuntu 5.10 64-bit Edition

Now there aren't many apps that take advantage of 64 bit, so unless you find a "Kiler App" that you use on a regular basis with support for it, I would not realy bother....the hasle in gneral is not realy worth it in most cases for an average user, server and CAD type apps are probably the ones showing the most gains at this time.

There is a Linux section here that may be of more use to you, and we have a few "Linux Gurus" that may also pipe in here later hopefully to let you know the real deal is.

Awesome thanks for the help Necro.

Good to see a familiar face, a lot seems to have changed since I was here last.

I will look into Linux for sure. I may just end up going back to 32 bit XP Pro though. I have noticed substantial gains in rendering and CAD work, which is what I need the machine most for.

Also HL2 runs much more smoothly on 64bit OS.

Anyway thanks I'll look into it!

Quote: Originally Posted by $SOLID$ Necro Heya buddy...long time no see! I am no "Linux" guy, but I keep hearing "Ubuntu" is the most user friendly version, and I did a quick google search and found they have a 64 bit version. Raspberry Home - Ubuntu 5.10 64-bit Edition Now there aren't many apps that take advantage of 64 bit, so unless you find a "Kiler App" that you use on a regular basis with support for it, I would not realy bother....the hasle in gneral is not realy worth it in most cases for an average user, server and CAD type apps are probably the ones showing the most gains at this time. There is a Linux section here that may be of more use to you, and we have a few "Linux Gurus" that may also pipe in here later hopefully to let you know the real deal is.

Suse, and Ubuntu are awesome to work with. either is a good choice, IMO.

~Bob

With regards to Vista RC1, it's rather lovely but pretty slow and the compatibility just isn't quite there yet - so I wouldn't suggest you use it as your main OS.