New Windows 7 Professional I bought

Vista was a nightmare for programming hardware like arduino using 32bit software. Win7 seems to do it ok, but you have to download virtual xp .......and have a valid license for this 'feature'.

 

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I love my XP.
Alas, what's compelling me to upgrade is the fact that my current mobo and configuration doesn't support a pci video card.
I do a lot of intensive photo editing work.. so...

 

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Safe assumption you meant PCI-E video card. Yes, your upgrade options are severely limited by a motherboard that has an AGP rather than PCI-E slot. Though there are a few higher end AGP cards still available, the price to performance ratio is terrible (when compared to PCI-E cards) because of the low demand.

In that case, you are really best off moving to an entire new system. And to make the most of your new hardware, a 64 bit operating system. I can assure you the transition from XP to Win7 is very nearly painless. I was quite content with XP Pro, but I do like Win7 Pro slightly better.

 

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I like my Athelon 32/64 bit processor for it can be compatable with some 32 bit programs while running in the 64 bit mode. Now I just have to figure a way out of my AGP 512 Meg video card but alas I think I cannot without a new MOBO.

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My own 32 bit games work on the 64 bit OK. I fdid have to download a new TCP first however.

 

I am enjoying WIN 7 Pro and a quad AMD 64 system thus far. Just Messing around for now though, as I am still setting it up. I have this AMD system and XP to use so there is no rush. I am heavy into photo and graphics...well, games too.

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Gotta have a decent display and sound to stay engaged.

 

good for u stoniphi. i gotta crank up my 97

 

So in plain English, they didn't work first....

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Give us a price first. For a good price anything can be enjoyable...

 

Well some did and others did not. I'd say that about two thirds worked without and problems but the other third did have problems which were fixed pretty easy.

 

I think I threw about $2k US at the new system thus far, but I went for some pretty solid stuff by way of hardware. I figure that system will have to last for a few years when I get done with it so I went with good stuff that was on sale right after the holidays when Micro Center was trying to clear the shelves. Not top of the line though, as I ain't a high roller, but not on the cheap either.

I spend too much time on the computer not to have a nice system for day to day use. When my backup system died (toasted motherboard) I started putting my pennies aside for the new one. Since the old backup was a cheapo Tiger Direct special bundle, I figured to use this system for the new backup, as it is cobbled together from 3 fried ASUS motherboards and various parts from other systems. It is sorta old - AMD 64, AGP graphics card and 32 bit, so it is very slow - but it does have decent graphics and sound capacity yet and is OK for surfing and grunt work still.

As for WIN 7 Pro....I can see the handwriting on the wall. MicroSoft isn't going to support XP any more. WIN 7 is supposed to be the next iteration of the XP line, so I thought I might as well bite the bullet and hork out the change to get that too, despite that is a few buckaroos. Lots of patches too, so far, but like I said earlier - it does seem to work well so far.

 

Hello cosmictraveler,

Just a bit of FYI to understand the issues with 32-bit and 64-bit OS upgrades and later options that may or may not be available to you later:
When upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 you must upgrade the version currently installed within Windows Vista to the corresponding version in Windows 7. I.E. Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium; Windows Vista Business to Windows 7 Professional; and Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate. You also cannot upgrade a 32-bit operating system to 64-bit -- to migrate from 32-bit to 64-bit will require a custom install.

The architecture between the two is too drastically different to allow such a change. To learn more about the differences between a 32-bit operating system and 64-bit please go to the following link: windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/32-bit-and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions

I hope that helps you out!

You can also find lots of information on Windows 7 here in our Springboard website:
technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/default.aspx

Thanks again,
John M.
Microsoft Windows Client Support

 

Hey Repo,

Thanks for that.
Yeah, that video card limitation is bugging me.

My main problem now is in determining where to start. As I said, I can't make sense of how current chipsets are ranked. When system building, I always like to start from there, as that will determine the mobo, and from there, everything else.
So my question to you, or anyone else, now is: where to start processor-wise? I cannot find any comparative matrix anywhere so as to be able to rank, and compare, Intel vs. AMD...

 

Windows 7 automatic drivers were supposed to be an upgrade from manual searching. It's not...it's a huge huge negative for Windows. I can't find a way to just simply install old drivers like you could in (even) Vista or earlier.

 

This is a fresh install on a new HD with nothing on it before. I still do not understand why I had to use a new TCP in order for it , the Win 7, to work properly. Other than that it seems to be just fine. So far so good.

 

My point is/was that for decent money it is easy to get a good system. Now you might need a good one for professional use, but nowadays even for 1K one can get a system that lasts 5-10 years easily...

My desktop is 4-5 years old and except the extra memory added it still does the job. I think computers reached a level years ago that unless for special purposes they are way more powerful than what the average user needs.

 

Glaucon, I upgraded to an Intel system about a year and a half ago. Asus P5Q Pro, C2D E8400, and four gigabytes of DDR2. For what I do, it's great. This is the first time I've ever chosen Intel over AMD. Of course, my system is already out of date.

This comparison is already a little over a year old, but it's still fairly relevant. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/overclock-phenom-ii,2119.html

All out performance, Intel is still in the lead. For a lower cost upgrade, AMD still has very good chips. Even the lower priced offerings from either will give you a substantial performance boost from any CPU/motherboard combination from five years ago.

 

in that case you can run things in legacy mode.

 

Well, there is a new printer, wireless keyboard & mouse in that price, as well as a new set of 5.1 speakers, though I kept the big Dell monitor. Also had to replace a toasted (wired) router. I guess that I could have skipped on the fancy gaming case with the blue lights and extra fans, but it looked pretty cool and was also on sale for like $125....how could I pass that up? I went for 8 gigs of DDR2 as I often have a bunch of stuff open at once and don't like it when things get bogged down. Sometimes this system is way too slow any more.

When I spoke with a bunch of computer folks at the local U about Intel vs AMD, the consensus was that AMD was a bit more cost - effective. More bang for the buck. The backup system that crashed and burned on me was an Intel system, as is my sons, which he just built last summer - his first completely solo build.

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The gut feel is that Intel is more for the office and AMD is more for games, sound and graphics.

 

wrong. same shit different wrapper. intel is better but amd isnt bad.