Quote - Thanks odf,  maybe I'll get the newest linux and run that on another drive, that way I can learn it, and still have windows.

You don't even need that, just download one of the live CD/DVD distros and you can run it off a DVD or flash drive without having to install anything. And yes like odf said, it's not really worth it if you mainly work in 3D/2D. XP64 though is a perfect choice... all the benefits of 64 bits, without any of the bloated crap of Vista.