Computer Upgrade Question

[acourt]

Guys,

I hate to ask something like this on the CalClassic forum, but ya'll are my experts!

I'm in the market for a new computer. Are there any problems running FS2004 in Windows Vista 64-bit? Are there any pitfalls I should be concerned with when it comes to hardware (dual core processors, etc)?

Thanks!

Al

[Tom/CalClassic]

Hi,

No, it will run. You will need to right click the fs9.exe file and choose WinXP compatibility mode, you will need to run it as an administrator, and if you have video glitches you might need to run Vista in Classic View, but I haven't heard of much more trouble than that.

Hope this helps,

[ashaman]

I don't have a lot of things to say about this last "successful" Microsoft OS, because I've shied away from it like from a CAT. Personally I tend to advice against the use of Vista, if possible, mostly because of this OS's habit of hogging a lot of resources in exchange of nothing, and because old programs (and planes, but mostly of the payware-with-installer kind) thought for XP may get... temperamental.

Of course, if you only have that OS, or have a particular other reason to use it, I heard it allows FS9 to work with no excessive problems.

As for the CPU, I'm actually using a Dual Core (AMD Athlon X2 6000) with FS9 and only can say nice things... under Windows XP. Only suggestion I feel to give you is not to save money when thinking of the video card (I use a Geforce 9600GT 512MB DDR III, economical [paid 65€ for it] and speedy) and possibly use an external audio card as well (the integrated audio of the motherboards are known resource hogging peripherals).

[Tom/CalClassic]

I bought a new computer from Jetline Systems, just because they were offering it with XP...

[Col7777]

I agree with the above posts, if you are having the PC built then I would ask/insist on XP, I know there are people who are running FS on Vista with no problems but if you read the posts on other forums not just FS, there seem to a lot asking how to run this or that on Vista.

Get som extra RAM too, it's not that expensive now as it used to be, and as already mentioned a decent graphics card.

[eddiejez]

Hi

I run vista on a 64 bit system and have no problems now but it takes a bit of getting use to fs9 runs like a dream , but if you don't like change stick to xp but then with vista you get better video and graphics and the ability to use 4gigabytes of ram xp will only use 2 gig of ram unless you enable the maximum which is 3 gig its is also skeptical as to whether xp will use all 4 cores of a quad cor processor?

rgds Edd

[stansdds]

XP can use more that 2 GB of RAM. XP 32 bit will recognize 3.5 GB and will use all 4 GB if needed, but 4 GB is the maximum with 32 bit operating systems. XP 64 bit will recognize up to 128 GB of RAM. As for using four cores, there are a lot of XP users running quad core CPU's just fine. The utilization of multiple cores depends upon the application software. If your game is not written to use multiple cores, then you will not see all of the cores being utilized. Personally, I'd stick with XP for now and wait for Windows 7.

[jesse]

You can still order XP on your purchase of a Dell, but it will come with Vista if you don't specify what you want.

Also, you can buy an OEM version of XP from several online vendors and install it yourself after eliminating Vista. I purchased an extra copy just in case.

Jesse

[ashaman]

As for the memory problem, the solution is hardly only Vista, but any 64bit OS.

Having the necessity and possibility I would find and install Windows Xp 64bit. Else, I'd wait going over 4Gb ram for better times (and OS).

[acourt]

Thanks, guys! You're always a huge help. I splurged as much as I could on the graphics card (I'm well within easy striking distance of furloughs these days), opting for a 256MB GeForce 9300.

I'll try Vista and see how it goes, but I'll probably invest in an extra copy of XP just in case. My current machine will be mostly for the kids, and will still run XP. The new machine is a dual-core 2.6GHz Intel, with 6GB of RAM. I hope this works!

Thanks again!

Al