Hey.
I am buying 64bit high end workstations, but I am not sure which operating system to go for.
Can you help me decide, please?

I could go with XP x64 as it is tested and well established.
I heared that Vista x64 is slow with 3ds max.
I don’t know anything about Windows 7.

If you know anything more about it please let me know.

I have used both xp and vista, and I would say that vista isn’t slower if you have enough ram. Vista uses so much ram you will be battling with that problem more than cpu usage. If you have more than 2Gbs you won’t notice much of a difference.

I haven’t had the chance to try windows 7 yet, but from what I hear, I would buy that as my first choice.

Get XP for the viewport speed if you get a dx10 capable graphic card. If you’re getting a high end computer, its more than likely so XP is the way to go here.

Get Vista if you like pain. Nah, I’m kidding. Vista’s very stable and reliable OS now with SP2, but between w7 and XP there is no reason to get it. XP is faster, and win7 is both faster and better looking.

Get win7 if you want the most amazing piece of software called OS out today- BUT you don’t mind 50-70% slowdown in viewports over XP IF you get a dx10 capable graphic card.

Personally, I have dual boot XP 64 for max work (that i end up not using it 99% of time) and win7 for everything else. Seeing how highend dx10 cards are bordering ridiculous speeds, 70% slower is more often than not- way more speed than you need.

Still, if heavy Max work is all you do (and by heavy I mean several million poly scenes OR humanoid animations with character studio) xp is the only way to do it pain free at the moment.

EoDEo

Ideas drift like petals on the wind. You have only to lift your face to the breeze.

eodeo 10 November 2009 11:41 AM

Get XP for the viewport speed if you get a dx10 capable graphic card. If you’re getting a high end computer, its more than likely so XP is the way to go here.

Get Vista if you like pain. Nah, I’m kidding. Vista’s very stable and reliable OS now with SP2, but between w7 and XP there is no reason to get it. XP is faster, and win7 is both faster and better looking.

Get win7 if you want the most amazing piece of software called OS out today- BUT you don’t mind 50-70% slowdown in viewports over XP IF you get a dx10 capable graphic card.

Personally, I have dual boot XP 64 for max work (that i end up not using it 99% of time) and win7 for everything else. Seeing how highend dx10 cards are bordering ridiculous speeds, 70% slower is more often than not- way more speed than you need.

Still, if heavy Max work is all you do (and by heavy I mean several million poly scenes OR humanoid animations with character studio) xp is the only way to do it pain free at the moment.

what do you mean by “Get XP for the viewport speed”

Hi! (sorry for my bad english) I’m using Windows 7 Pro x64 and i’m very satisfied about it. There is no problem with Win7 up till now, graphic performances are very good and stability is excellent too. I have installed only the CG-programs disabling every services i don’t use them (media center, games, remote assistences, etc...), disabling some aero-desktop effects (optional), and Win7 works very well (no freeze or forced restart or something like these...). I’m using Softimage and it runs very well and the same is for all other graphic-programs i use. Surely Win7 is quite more better then Vista overall and Win7 has the best graphics libraries than XP. I don’t have noticed any relevant slowdown but this is my modest opinion only. Thanks.
(PS: Win7 Pro x64 runs on my IntelQuadCore workstation with 8GB RAM DDR2, 2xHD 500GB RAID, NVidia Quadro FX580, etc, with Photoshop, Softimage, Combustion, ZBrush, Modo and some utilities...)

viewport speed/performance- rotating/zooming/panning about your scene visually with a mouse or a similar device. No animation or playback of any kind except what you see on screen interactively manipulating screen.

Quadro FX580 = geforce 9500 ie lower end of midrange graphic cards in 2008.

and to be ridicilous and quote my self:

Still, if heavy Max work is all you do (and by heavy I mean several million poly scenes OR humanoid animations with character studio) xp is the only way to do it pain free at the moment.

So, to paraphrase that- unless you work with several million poly scenes OR humanoid animations you’re fine with win 7. I know I am.

EoDEo

Ideas drift like petals on the wind. You have only to lift your face to the breeze.

MOVE FORWARD....  XP and Vista are a thing of the past… if there are any problems with 7, they will soon be worked out as always.  You’ll be happy.

Eedeo is quite right… but “personally” I would move forward with 7 (64bit). Don’t even bother with Vista at all if anything.

As far as the problem Eedeo mentions when using a NEWER (blazing fricking fast DIRECTX10 gaming card), I haven’t been able to see what he is talking about yet… Eedeo, do you mean when using DirectX10 mode in 3ds (not DirectX9) and Windows 7 (32 or 64 bit) that this viewport slows down????

Or does this ALSO occur in directx9 mode in 3ds????

Or is it because ANy card that has directx10 has this problem in 3ds/win7 your saying?????

I don’t use the DirectX10 in 3ds 2010 design since it does NOT work right at all...and from reading that it doesn’t for anybody else until probably a new release of 3ds I assume...then I guess Direct11 will be in it maybe also????? (but that also probably not working either?? and would need a new directx11 card anyways… directx9 still doing quite fine.)

Sounds like the viewport performace loss Eedeo mentions isn’t too much to worry about anyways.  Then if it is, then you have the mess of which video card to get?  $$$$$$$$$$$$ Quadros or ATI Fire.. or High Performance gaming GEForce or HD cards??!!!!!  Good luck...lots of discussion here about that...but really no clear proven facts...just talk I see… Not sure if the Quadros and ATI Fire line of cards specific performace drivers are even like they used to be for 3ds any more...seems more fit for Solidworks and the like since I hear the maxtreme (nvidia) performance drivers JUST came out..and seems to be lots of problems, and not much performance gain if any at all...so what justifies the high cost anymore if the drivers aren’t working with them...I guess you need the specific drivers to take advantage?

Intel i7 930 2.8Ghz 8 CORE HT / CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus (no OC yet!)
Nvidia EVGA GTX 260 v296.10 driver (Nitrous in max) / Dual Dell Professional P2311H 23” Displays
ASUS P6X58D-E / Corsair Dominator 12GB 1600 DDR3 / Antec tp750 blue / Antec 300 Illusion
Windows 7 Pro x64 SP1
3ds max design 2012 x64 SP2 (since the 1st DOS version!), Mudbox 2012 x64 SP3, Softimage 2012 x64 SP1, Maya 2012 x64 HF2, Adobe CS5.5 x64, CorelDRAW x5 SP3, Painter 12, etc etc
Wacom Intuos4 v6.2.0w5 / 3DConnexion Space Navigator (drv6.15.2)/ Logitech Performance MX mouse (5.33.14)

if there are any problems with 7, they will soon be worked out as always.

Definition of soon is very debatable. Problem with Max viewports exists since introduction of Vista in 2006. 4 years and 4 Maxes later the problem is still here.

Windows 7 as an upgrade (great upgrade, but upgrade non the less) inherited same Vista/DX10/Max quirkiness.

Or does this ALSO occur in directx9 mode in 3ds????

Yes.

Or is it because ANy card that has directx10 has this problem in 3ds/win7 your saying?????

Again yes. ANY dx10 capable card paired with ANY dx10 capable OS makes Max viewport to go bananas.

so what justifies the high cost anymore

Same thing that justifies a Mac- user ignorance.

Mac= PC with 2x price and different OS. You CAN install Mac OS on any post 2006 intel PC.
in closing- Mac= post 2006 intel PC with 2x price tag for same hardware

EoDEo

Ideas drift like petals on the wind. You have only to lift your face to the breeze.