Windows 7 for Gamers: Opinions Wanted

Started by Nessy, July 03, 2009, 02:50:30 AM

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Nessy

Hi,

I noticed there are some technically inclined individuals on this site, so I thought i might ask some questions that someone else might have an opinion about. Please, no Windows 7 bashing or otherwise Microsoft hating here. That's not what I am looking for.

Here's the deal; I am a gamer. I built my computer, built the one before this one and will probably build the next one in a couple of years. I don't ride the wave of new technology, I tend to build a system easily capable of being classified as a "high performance" machine when I originally put it together but not the type of the machine that is intended to blow other machines out of the water. Just machines that play games well. I am using Window XP because Vista didn't offer me much at the time I put it together. I have vista on the laptop so its not some hate for that OS either. I am going to upgrade to Windows 7 but I am having second thoughts about the version I have pre-ordered. I ordered Home Premium because most of the stuff in Pro and Ultimate aren't features I am likely to use much. What is making me hesitant, however is the memory limitation for RAM. I intend to use the 64-bit version, don't worry all my components are capable of running that version fine, and I am wondering if 16GB ram is going to be a real ceiling for me. Right now I have 4GB, although XP is only using just over 3GB because of it's limitation.

So any thoughts? For gamers, is the premium for Windows 7 Pro really worth it to gain access to 192GB limitation instead of the 16? Or maybe it would be a better idea for me to stick with Home Premium and in a couple-few years when I build again (probably using a CPU that is a generation after Intel's  current i7xxx chipsets) just buy the Pro version then when/if it becomes evident that 16GB ceiling will be an issue.

My own personal inclination is that developers are still going to want to target the bigger market so might be leaning towards keeping requirements and good performance under the 16GB limit.

Thanks in Advance
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Vekseid

Ignore for a moment that developers are going to be waiting awhile before breaking with the 3gb 32 bit OS limit.

So, assuming Windows 7 gets released at least late this year - even if it doesn't make October 22nd - the typical top of the line setup is still going to be 16gb. 24gb and 32gb systems are not widely available for typical consumer purposes, and the same goes for tested 24gb and 32gb DIMM packs. Developers for high RAM-intensity games are going to be looking at 16gb as the feasible limit for that reason as well, at least until 2013 or so.

Nessy

Well that makes sense to me. 

Like I said, I don't ride the waves, but I follow them and buy behind them. By the time I have to start checking system requirements and wondering if I can run the game, I am getting close to starting from scratch again anyway. And when I see people talking about Win 7 RAM limitations, it's just hard to know if these are the serious builders who game, or gamers who just like to post their specs and benchmarks in signatures to brag about them (sometimes people willing to shell out well over 4k at Alienware, FalconNorthwest and other . I know the boards you are talking about, the ones with 24 and 32GB limitations, are around what $450-500+ which would put them out of reach for most or just not be practical in my case.

I guess there are two things that I find a real PITA to upgrade in the middle of a build, the motherboard and the OS, so I try to future "proof" them a bit more than other components. I've yet to upgrade a motherboard, when it starts lagging behind it's usually time for a new build, and I always pray not to have it crap out on me. Usually the OS is a given but because of the original and in some cases, lingering issues with Vista, I wasn't wiling to pay full price for it at the time, and I might not have actually looked at Windows 7 for this build until they came out with their rather inexpensive upgrade sale (although I kept hoping the full version would get similar treatment). So anyways, I appreciate the opinion. It goes with what I was thinking. And maybe it's just me, but it seems like requirements for games in general aren't moving as quick as they used to. There have been a few that really surprised me, Ghostbusters has a pretty steep recommended requirement setup but it's little more than a poor port from consoles that arent' even close to that fast.
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