XP Pro or XP Pro 64

[madcadder]

My new PC is in IS right now and I get a choice between XP Pro (32-bit) and XP Pro 64.
If I keep the XP Pro I will get one of the first copies of Vista when we get it.

[.T.]

With my experience supporting an XP64 machine that was ordered that way by mistake, and given the pain in my rear that it has caused through finding drivers and difficulty in installing 2007, I would stick with XP Pro and wait at least until Autocad is supported on the XP64 and/or Vista platforms. I am in no hurry to go to Vista, either, and I will probably wait until at least Service Pack 2 so the wrinkles are pretty much ironed out.

You may find THIS THREAD (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=38663) and links provided of some value, also.

[jpostlewait]

XP 64 seems to play the part of the red headed step-child in the Micro$oft world.

You got to have cajones to be the first one on your block with a new operating system, that being said, Microsoft is sure attempting to get Vista right.

[cadtag]

The poll is missing the option I'm looking for, which is to migrate to Vista only when there is no other alternative to run AutoCAD. The reality is that many companies are still happily running Win2000, and there are large numbers of NT4 servers still happily grinding away, accomplishing mission critical jobs. Vista may be necessary for MS to continue making boatloads of money, but I fail to see where it helps me accomplish any of the tasks I use a computer for any better than Win2K does.

Perhaps if the WinFS guts of Vista had not been ripped out there would be some benefit, but as the product is now standing, it appears to only benefit MS, Intel, and large PC manufacturers. I've got two XP computes at home, along with a BeOS machine, and frankly for the large majority of non-CAD stuff i do, the Be machine, PIII 800Mhz w. 512Mb RAM, outperforms either of the XP machines, including the brand new Xi dualcore, 2Gb, SATA 10K drives,etc.

[robert.1.hall72202]

Shouldn't there be an option in the poll for "Doesn't matter to me"?

AutoCad runs just fine under both options.

[madcadder]

Shouldn't there be an option in the poll for "Doesn't matter to me"?

AutoCad runs just fine under both options.IS is trying to talk me out of Pro 64 "due to the fact that it is slower than the 32-bit version when running most applications"

[michael.12445]

If it were my choice, I would take the XP Pro machine, but also keep a baseball bat handy to fend off IT when they come around and threaten to install Vista.

My brother, a programmer, installed Vista on his home machine. Admittedly, it's a beta version, but he says it's sloooooooooow. Even after M$ does what they can to optimize the code for the official release, it just doesn't seem to make sense to run something like AutoCAD on such a resource-hungry beast.

As for the 32-bit vs. 64-bit OS question - in theory, a 64-bit OS on a 64-bit computer should offer some performance advantage, but you would only see it if your application was compiled for a 64-bit computer, which AutoCAD is not. In fact, a 64-bit OS has to have some sort of compatibility layer in order to run 32-bit applications at all. That's why the 64-bit OS is probably not worth it.

I don't know Autodesk's plans with respect to offering 64-bit versions of its products, or supporting Vista vs. XP / Win2000. It's probably a safe bet, however, that you will not have access to the source code in order to compile it yourself for whatever platform you're using.

Michael Evans
Togawa Smith Martin Residential, Inc.

[avdesign]

I'm not to enthused about Vista. Sure it is a definite graphical update, especially with the GUI objects being rendered as 3D instead of 8, 16, or 32 bits. It's Microsoft's whole idea of basing it's OS architecture on certain Hardware features, Trustworthy Computing, and having to buy the most expensive version just to get the same use as XP Pro makes me want to sit it out and wait. Oh did I mention all the hooks installed that could make it just a pain to install software...... Sure Vista is turning heads but Bill and the boys never get it right the first go anyways.