Dual boot or upgrades?

[dnv2]

Last year I purchased a new rig with Vista already pre-installed.

The last game I played PC-wise was Oblivion. (I preferred the PC version, complete with Mods etc.)

I loaded the game up on my new Vista rig and found it ran like total crap, this also seems to be the case with most new-ish games I try and play.

I recently decided to start Pc gaming again, so I looked at the possibility of either upgrading some hardware or creating a dual boot. (XP)

To the point, I'm kind of looking for an opinion on what would be easiest option. Also it'd be nice to hear others experiences with Dual booting XP and/or Vista gaming in general.
If it helps the specs of my current rig are:

2GB RAM
Intel Dual-Core Processor (Running at 2.4 I think)
Radeon X1650 SE
32 Bit Vista

Edit: Bearing in mind I didn't get any Vista Discs with the PC (Just Restore etc.) I also don't have a legit copy of XP either.

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Hey if you still have XP, go for the dual boot. It's XP with DX10

 

[dnv2]

Oh and for a little extra info, I'm planning on playing Fallout 3 so I'll need to be able to run that to a decent degree.

 

[dnv2]

How did you purchase a rig without getting an 8800GT?

It may well be what you mention, I haven't checked in a long time as I've only been using my PC for downloading lately...mainly stick to using my laptop for surfing etc. downstairs..

I will check and clear that up.

 

[Ancalagon]

I'd say it's definitely your graphics card holding you back. Reinstalling XP would give you a performance boost to be sure, but if you want to be playing Fallout 3 on high settings, you'll need a new card. I've got 2GB of Ram and a 2.4Ghz Intel Dual Core, and I can run it fine on high settings on an 8800GTS 320MB, which is a bit old now. I hear the Radeon 4850 is pretty good if you're on a budget, and would certainly beat my card. You might as well get another couple of GB of RAM while you're there, since it's dirt cheap, although bear in mind you won't be able to access all 4GB if you're using a 32 bit version of windows. What resolution is your monitor, by the way?

 

[dnv2]

Damn, just checked.

My card is an X1650 SE

My resolution is 1440 x 900, if I run it any lower than that it looks odd. (Widescreen monitor)

 

[dnv2]

So is it the general consensus that I should just upgrade my card and everything will be peachy?

 

[smallharmlesskitten]

How did you purchase a rig without getting an 8800GT?

I'm not... I'm getting a 4670

 

[runtheplacered]

So is it the general consensus that I should just upgrade my card and everything will be peachy?

The speed of the processor isn't going to help any, either. I have a Q6600 (quad), which is clocked at 2.4 ghz stock and have since gone to 3.2 ghz on air, and I can really tell a big difference. The difference between say, running Crysis at medium vs. running it at high. This is with an 8800GTS G92, which is just negligibly better then a GT, and 4 gigs of ram.

 

[Ancalagon]

So is it the general consensus that I should just upgrade my card and everything will be peachy?

I really think so. With your specs, the graphics card is plainly the bottleneck. Upgrade your graphics card to one of the ones that have been recommended, and if you still can't run Oblivion or Fallout 3 at a decent level, then there's something wrong with your software setup. But frankly, I'd be pretty surprised if a X1650 could run either of those games well, in any case.

 

[dnv2]

Ok I think I'll probably go with this then : http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-170-AS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=938&name=Asus%20ATI%20Radeon%20HD%204850%201024MB%20GDDR3%20TV-Out/Dual%20DVI/HDMI%20(PCI-Express)%20-%20Retail