Windows XP 32 bit or 64 bit for early 2000's gaming?

Evelynn · Nov 28, 2023

Hi everyone! I ordered a rather inexpensive HP 8710W laptop. It has full XP support (which is why I purchased it).
I intend on using it for games made around the early 2000's era (NFS Underground, Alien vs Predator, Sims 2).

Would 32 bit XP be the most compatible? Or will 64 bit work just as well with games made around that era? The laptop has 4GB of RAM / C2D / Quadro FX 1600M. It likely will never be connected to the internet, except to shortly see what it's like to browse the net with XP for amusement purposes.

natr0n · Nov 28, 2023

XP32 is most compatible
xp64 can work but most things run slower actually on it.

Some nfs series wont work on 64.

Frick · Nov 28, 2023

32 bit for sure.

Solaris17 · Nov 28, 2023

Frick said:
32 bit for sure.

This 64 bit was an adventure lolol

Onasi · Nov 28, 2023

32-bit, no discussion. XP64 was in essence an experiment. It wasn’t a great running or the most stable OS then and time did not improve it. Besides, nothing that you would run on such a retro box would require any 64-bit features anyway.

SL2 · Nov 28, 2023

Don't forget that you'll need SATA drivers integrated on the XP ISO.

Does it have an SSD? Otherwise, it's the first thing to get.

Bill_Bright · Nov 28, 2023

64-bit wasn't mature back in XP days. So for sure, to ensure the best compatibility, I would go with 32-bit.

HOWEVER, if you have both, I say, try 64-bit and see how it goes. "In theory", 64-bit "should" give the OS a little more wiggle room (RAM space) to operate in and that (again, "in theory") "should" give you a little (although maybe not noticeable) performance boost.

Then come back and tell us how it went.

erpguy53 · Nov 28, 2023

definitely use XP 32bit which is based on NT 5.1 kernel and is the most common version
there were two variations of 64bit WinXP (XP for 64bit Intel Itanium IA64 systems & XP professional x64 edition)
the XP Itanium version did have a later 2003 release which was based on the Server 2003 NT 5.2 kernel instead of the original NT 5.1 kernel; original XP Itanium edition was based on original NT 5.1 kernel and the XP x64 edition for x64 cpus was based on the Server 2003 NT 5.2 kernel

JohH · Nov 28, 2023

no one used 64bit xp. that was a niche product unlike the 32 bit version
should give you the answer

Evelynn · Nov 28, 2023

Thanks for all the replies! 32-bit it is.

SL2 said:
Does it have an SSD? Otherwise, it's the first thing to get.

Don't forget that you'll need SATA drivers integrated on the XP ISO.

I sourced an SSD from my secondary rig that wasn't being used. I (think) you have to disable things like TRIM within the OS, right? I've heard XP isn't SSD friendly.

About to start installing it! Hopefully everything goes smoothly. I'm using WinXP 32-bit Integral with the Intel SATA drivers slipstreamed in.

natr0n · Nov 28, 2023

Evelynn said:
Thanks for all the replies! 32-bit it is.

I sourced an SSD from my secondary rig that wasn't being used. I (think) you have to disable things like TRIM within the OS, right? I've heard XP isn't SSD friendly.

About to start installing it! Hopefully everything goes smoothly. I'm using WinXP 32-bit Integral with the Intel SATA drivers slipstreamed in.

A new integral xp was released today/a day ago actually

SL2 · Nov 28, 2023

Evelynn said:
I sourced an SSD from my secondary rig that wasn't being used. I (think) you have to disable things like TRIM within the OS, right?

I don't remember, sorry.

natr0n said:
A new integral xp was released today/a day ago actually

Where is this? I haven't touched XP since I had an HP Elitebook from 2015 (Broadwell), it actually came with ISO's and drivers for XP, 7 & 8.1!

Wirko · Nov 28, 2023

Evelynn said:
I sourced an SSD from my secondary rig that wasn't being used. I (think) you have to disable things like TRIM within the OS, right? I've heard XP isn't SSD friendly.

You need to disable automatic defragmentation if XP does that. I think it doesn't but I'm not sure. Too lazy to fire up my E6400 box now, and the mobo sometimes won't turn on.

As for TRIM, there's nothing to disable in XP. On the contrary, you have to occassionally run TRIM manually, using the utility provided by the SSD manufacturer. Intel SSD Toolbox, for example.

And there's one more reason to avoid XP64. Core 2 was an early 64-bit processor, and one of its deficiencies was low performance with 64-bit code. You can probably still find some article about that at Anandtech etc. if you're interested. Besides, what's the maximum RAM amount for your laptop? Anything above 2x2GB is out of spec (but might work).

QuietBob · Dec 2, 2023

Evelynn said:
It likely will never be connected to the internet, except to shortly see what it's like to browse the net with XP for amusement purposes.

Reporting in with Firefox 52.9.0 ESR, the last version with official XP support.

TPU can be accessed without a problem. Some websites do not display their full content, or have broken functionality, but can still be navigated. Some sites only show an "unsupported browser" message. YouTube @ 1080p works very well :rockout:

There are a number of unofficial browsers for XP which supposedly fix the issues.

Posting this from my XP rig -- an oc'd Phenom II X4 with an AGP HD3850 and an SSD

System Name	Shirakami
Processor	7800X3D / 2000 & 2000 IF & UCLK
Motherboard	Gigabyte B650i AORUS Ultra
Cooling	Corsair iCUE H100i ELITE CAPELLIX w/ ultra slim 2x120mm fans
Memory	2x24GB Hynix M-Die @ 8000 - 38-48-48-40 - 40k tREFI & tuned subtimings
Video Card(s)	6900 XT Reference / -120 mV @ 2.4 GHz
Storage	1 & 2 TB NVMe - 1 TB SATA SSD
Display(s)	LG 34GN850 (3440x1440) 160 Hz overclock
Case	Lian Li Q58
VR HMD	Reverb G2 V2
Software	Fedora Linux 41 operating system (daily)

System Name	natr0n-PC
Processor	Ryzen 5950x-5600x \| 9600k
Motherboard	B450 AORUS M \| Z390 UD
Cooling	EK AIO 360 - 6 fan action \| AIO
Memory	Patriot - Viper Steel DDR4 (B-Die)(4x8GB) \| Samsung DDR4 (4x8GB)
Video Card(s)	EVGA 3070ti FTW
Storage	Various
Display(s)	Pixio PX279 Prime
Case	Thermaltake Level 20 VT \| Black bench
Audio Device(s)	LOXJIE D10 + Kinter Amp + 6 Bookshelf Speakers Sony+JVC+Sony
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex III ARGB 80+ Gold 650W \| EVGA 700 Gold
Software	XP/7/8.1/10
Benchmark Scores	http://valid.x86.fr/79kuh6

System Name	Black MC in Tokyo
Processor	Ryzen 5 7600
Motherboard	MSI X670E Gaming Plus Wifi
Cooling	Be Quiet! Pure Rock 2
Memory	2 x 16GB Corsair Vengeance @ 6000Mhz
Video Card(s)	XFX 6950XT Speedster MERC 319
Storage	Kingston KC3000 1TB \| WD Black SN750 2TB \|WD Blue 1TB x 2 \| Toshiba P300 2TB \| Seagate Expansion 8TB
Display(s)	Samsung U32J590U 4K + BenQ GL2450HT 1080p
Case	Fractal Design Define R4
Audio Device(s)	Plantronics 5220, Nektar SE61 keyboard
Power Supply	Corsair RM850x v3
Mouse	Logitech G602
Keyboard	Dell SK3205
Software	Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	Rimworld 4K ready!

System Name	RogueOne
Processor	Xeon W9-3495x
Motherboard	ASUS w790E Sage SE
Cooling	SilverStone XE360-4677
Memory	128gb Gskill Zeta R5 DDR5 RDIMMs
Video Card(s)	MSI SUPRIM Liquid 5090
Storage	1x 2TB WD SN850X \| 2x 8TB GAMMIX S70
Display(s)	49" Philips Evnia OLED (49M2C8900)
Case	Thermaltake Core P3 Pro Snow
Audio Device(s)	Moondrop S8's on schitt Gunnr
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime TX-1600
Mouse	Razer Viper mini signature edition (mercury white)
Keyboard	Monsgeek M3 Lavender, Moondrop Luna lights
VR HMD	Quest 3
Software	Windows 11 Pro Workstation
Benchmark Scores	I dont have time for that.

System Name	The Workhorse
Processor	AMD Ryzen R9 5900X
Motherboard	Gigabyte Aorus B550 Pro
Cooling	CPU - Noctua NH-D15S Case - 3 Noctua NF-A14 PWM at the bottom, 2 Fractal Design 180mm at the front
Memory	GSkill Trident Z 3200CL14
Video Card(s)	NVidia GTX 1070 MSI QuickSilver
Storage	Adata SX8200Pro
Display(s)	LG 32GK850G
Case	Fractal Design Torrent (Solid)
Audio Device(s)	FiiO E-10K DAC/Amp, Samson Meteorite USB Microphone
Power Supply	Corsair RMx850 (2018)
Mouse	Razer Viper (Original) on a X-Raypad Equate Plus V2
Keyboard	Cooler Master QuickFire Rapid TKL keyboard (Cherry MX Black)
Software	Windows 11 Pro (24H2)

Windows XP 32 bit or 64 bit for early 2000's gaming?

Evelynn

natr0n

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop

Solaris17

Super Dainty Moderator

Onasi

SL2

Bill_Bright

erpguy53

JohH

Evelynn

natr0n

SL2

Wirko

QuietBob

System Name	Brightworks Systems BWS-6 E-IV
Processor	Intel Core i5-6600 @ 3.9GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 Rev 1.0
Cooling	Quality Fractal Design Define R4 case, 2 x FD 140mm fans, CM Hyper 212 EVO HSF
Memory	32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s)	EVGA GEForce GTX 1050Ti 4Gb GDDR5
Storage	Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD, Samsung 860 Evo 500GB SSD
Display(s)	Samsung S24E650BW LED x 2
Case	Fractal Design Define R4
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova 550W G2 Gold
Mouse	Logitech M190
Keyboard	Microsoft Wireless Comfort 5050
Software	W10 Pro 64-bit

Processor	AMD Phenom II X4 925
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 R2
Memory	4 GB DDR3 1333Mhz
Audio Device(s)	onboard Realtek ALC892
Power Supply	Seasonic S12II 620w (SS-620GB)
Software	Windows 10 Education x64 21H2

Processor	i5-6600K
Motherboard	Asus Z170A
Cooling	some cheap Cooler Master Hyper 103 or similar
Memory	16GB DDR4-2400
Video Card(s)	IGP
Storage	Samsung 850 EVO 250GB
Display(s)	2x Oldell 24" 1920x1200
Case	Bitfenix Nova white windowless non-mesh
Audio Device(s)	E-mu 1212m PCI
Power Supply	Seasonic G-360
Mouse	Logitech Marble trackball, never had a mouse
Keyboard	Key Tronic KT2000, no Win key because 1994
Software	Oldwin

Processor	5800X3D -30 CO
Motherboard	MSI B550 Tomahawk
Cooling	DeepCool Assassin III
Memory	32GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V @ 3800 CL14
Video Card(s)	ASRock MBA 7900XTX
Storage	1TB WD SN850X + 1TB ADATA SX8200 Pro
Display(s)	Dell S2721QS 4K60
Case	Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced USB 3.0
Audio Device(s)	Audiotrak Prodigy Cube Black (JRC MUSES 8820D) + CAL (recabled)
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime TX-750
Mouse	Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave
Keyboard	Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave
Software	Windows 10 Pro