Is WinXP or Win2k better to run BG2 on?

[Gandar]

I am getting a new computer(SWEET!) and will be changing to a more modern OS, and I can't decide between WinXP Pro and Win2k Pro. Any suggestions? My new system will have:
Athlon XP 2400+ cpu
Asus A7N8X Deluxe mobo
Seagate 80GB ATA100 HDD
512MB pc2700 DDR
GF 4 MX 440 AGP
48x24x48 CDRW
16x DVD rom

I will be giving my old computer to my kids and will be networking them together so we can play the BG series in multiplayer.My current system has a K6-2 500 cpu and 256MB pc133 sdram and Voodoo 3 3000 PCI video. Any help or suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated, as my new system will be here in less than a week.

[Sir Exxon]

There've been many bugs discovered when using WinXP. Win2k I haven't heard anything about yet. But I doubt it can be many more bugs than when using WinXP.

Sweet comp, btw. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Brennihelvete]

Windows XP is the best operative system out there, though it does indeed suck allot too!

[Jim]

That's a very nice rig you're getting there Gandar! The Asus N-Force 2 Motherboard is excellent (and you've got the Deluxe too!). You say you're getting 512 MB pc 2700 DDR RAM, are you getting this as 2x256 modules? If so then forget what I'm about to say, but if you're planning on getting 1 x 512 MB, then you're missing out on a big feature of the motherboard - dual channel memory (essentially doubles the bandwidth, but needs a matched pair of DIMMS). Only thing I can see holding you back with that rig is the GF4 MX graphics card, since these generally don't perform any better than the old GF2's (GTS and Ultra), the GF4 MX is a DirectX 7 compliant card, so if you could fork out a little extra and get a Titanium version (even the 4200), you are getting a fully compliant DirectX 8 card with a load more features that will be substantially faster. It's worth spedning the extra £30 pounds or so to get this over the MX if you can.

But enough babbling, I'm sure the last thing you want is my opinions about what to buy, so to answer your question about windows XP vs 2k:

I've used both extensively. I'm currently running Windows 2K because in my experience it's a little faster (I'm running an old PIII 700), but BG2 ran excellently on both.

Since the hardware you're getting is very new indeed, I'd suggest getting Windows XP. It has much better support for features such as USB 2 (which your motherboard has). I've experienced problems getting USB 2 to work in Windows 2000, but Windows XP had no grumbles.

Because Windows XP is quite a bloated operating system that likes to eat RAM, I went back to 2K (only have 256 MB, and it was struggling since I do a lot of GFX design). 512 MB is an absolute must for Windows XP to run efficiently, which you have, so I'm sure that XP will be the best choice for you.

[andrewas]

I second what jim is saying about 2 RAM sticks. Just bought that mobo mysekf, very sweet - if I can get them to deliver it. Nightmare.

At todays prices youd be as well to get a second 512 stick, rather than the hassle of changing a 512 stick for 2x256mb. Can anyone remember the performance difference for using the dual DDR interface? 30% or something? Significant anyway.

Getting back on topic, with the latest patch all versions of windows (save 95, which sucks more than you would believe) are equally bad for running Bg2 on. But 2K or XP are the best operating system for your system, so go with one of them. Theres not a lot to choose between them, but XP is more user friendly. (Dont worry, you can turn most of the user friendliness off).

If you go for a non-windows OS, WINE should be able to run BG2 excellently, but theres no advantage to go that route unless you need a *NIX OS for some reason.

[Gandar]

Thanks for the input everyone! The GF4 MX440 is going to be put in my current (old) comp as I am going to be getting a GF4 ti4200se in the near future. I will also be getting another stick of DDR about the same time. This is a system I am getting off E-Bay, and it originally was offered with an ECS mobo and Win2k already installed, but I asked how much for the comp with the ASUS mobo and no OS. The price went from $679 to $691 with the mobo upgrade. All totaled with shipping it came to $750.75. I did not want a pre-installed OS as they usually only come with a recovery disc. Oh, by the way,this is a new system, not a used one. I was planning on getting an AGP card for my old comp anyway because I need to free up a PCI slot for the NIC, so I didn't mind the new one coming with an MX440.

I don't mind the hardware suggestions at all !! In fact, if you guys have any other suggestions on hardware or set-up, any ideas will be welcomed. Feel free to PM or E-Mail me.