Well then if you are going to get the Extreme CPU, and are really into gaming you might consider the duel SLI PCI x16 and a mobo that will support this card cpu combo.

Vista Ultimate x64 bit is the right prog, but as agile states the NVidia drivers are a bit flaky with 3D and OpenGl, for some programs, but not all. Vista Ultimate also has Microsoft Virtual PC, a program that will let you create a space on an additional drive letter and then install another OS, which runs within the Vista OS. This requires extra resources, 4 to 8 gigs of ram total for games and 3D apps, since the first OS and second use both of the system resources. So you could always install WinXp x64 in the Virtual and run it without having to reboot all of the time.

NVidia is addressing the issue and has a Beta program, which I am part of. Oddly I do not have any troubles with any other 3D application except Vue and Poser. I have Cararra and other 3D apps and they work fine. The problem seems to be the Python language. Corel’s Paint Shop Pro also uses the Python language but recently Corel updated PSP for Vista and it now runs like a dream. I am running PSP on an x64 system. So, it would seem that e-On still has to sort out some issues beyond Poser. 

The real problem with Vista is the compatibility issues between old and new Hardware and Software. If you buy new for Vista you should not have a problem. Most of the apps that did not work three months ago, now work. And every day, Western Digital and other companies are updating hardware and software to work with Vista. I am not pushing Vista, but looking to the future, I have more than Vue to consider. Vista x64 will allow you to install both 64 and 32 bit apps on the system. It is recommended that you do not install 32 bit Utilities that may affect the 64 bit system. 

If you have the cash, do your research, then go the high road, rather than the low road of later regret.

An NVidia 6 series supports DX 7, most 7 series DX 9, and 8800 up DX 10 for the future hard-core gamer.

Maybe you could try A virtual drive, no boot required:

http://arcanecode.wordpress.com/2006/09/20/virtual-pc-step-by-step/ 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_PC 

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/virtualpc/default.mspx 

You can buy WinXP x64 and still run any 32 bit app.  But the 32 bit app will cannot take full advantage of the 64 bit OS.  I have been testing both of the x86 and x64 OS's and the x64 gives a small speed boost to the 32, about 5 to 10 % max.  

If you are going to upgrade you just as well go x64 with the ability to install 4 gigs or more of RAM for the future.

I guess I am fortunate I have no installation issues with Vue 6 Esprit with modules, as I installed Vue with Administrator Privledges into Vista x64.  As agiel states if you have the NVidia Drivers there are two versions under a new beta that will resolve most of the current issues with Vue, the others issues are minor and should not bother the app.  Check out the NVidia Beta drivers 101.4 for x86 or x64. 

The only problem I am having with Vue is Subsurface Scattering materials cause a massive memory leak when rendering, which casues Vue to lock-up and the OS to stop responding.  Remedy, I do not use the materials, and Vue works fine otherwise. 

My recomendation would be to purchase Vista Ultimate which is the x64 version and install at least 4 to 6 gigs of ram for best performance.  

Another thing that is important when installing Vista, you must have the latest hardware, ACPI compliante, prefereably within the last two years, and it all has to be x64 compatible. Vista x64 will also install and run 32 bit x86 apps, they just do not get the speed and memory advantage that a 64 bit app does.  Check out Microsofts Vista web site for compatibility issues.

Yeah, it is kind of complex, but the system has to know it is getting a purge as not to lose data. 

So, while you are waiting for the purge to take efect, the app is on standby.  Otherwise, if this purged occured silently in the background, and if the app and system were not on standby, you could lose data while purging and working on the app at the same time. 

The purge is not always successful, and sometimes it is better to save, shutdown Vue, wait for all disck activity to stop, then open the app and the system should have reclaimed the memory.  

Windows XP is not as efficient as reclaiming used memory as is Vista, so you could always use a third party memory manager if you are having major resource problems.  The memory manager still has to stop all activity before purging, if not data lose could occur. 

isn't the news patch for Download versions only?

I would agree with you, however, that is precisely what Microsoft does not want to do. They want to have one app, and no add-ins with the exception of their own. They really do not like the third party modular approach. And since Novel sold out there will soon be no Linux without royalty payment due, that will destroy open-source, so that says it all.

Microsoft’s approach has always been about complete control, which is how a perfectionist does business.
 

Something interesting; when IBM was the business model they took things slow. Introduced innovation when the old had run its course and new financial assets were needed. They understood the value of slow and steady economic progress, with the ability to take full advantage of the economic rewards. They also understood that not all businesses could afford to constantly throw money at innovation.  Now they do what all other do to survive.

Microsoft has never understood this economic model; they approach business with the idea they should constantly improve, make it bigger and better, whether the innovation is needed or financially viable. This is the economic model of today all around us and it will lead to ruination, as grandma used to say.

I like the look and the idea of Vista, but for now, there is just too much going on under the hood. All of the security and innovative features are getting in the way of the efficiency of the OS. With continual updates and patches, it will get slower, but MS has always depended on the newest CPU and Ram to get them out of trouble.

You can strip down Vista, but if you do you will defeat all of the innovation and technology implemented that keep it running smoothly. For instance, you can shut down system restore, and use partition backup software, but then you loose the shadow clone for preinstallations, and this is true of many of the other features. I tried this and stripped everything down. I had many troubles and constant alerts telling me of the consequences, not too mention that many times when I patched, those features were turned back on, or even damaged in some cases. Going to the Classic view is only a temporary fix. 

There are too many improvements that are going to take a good year for the third party industry to catch up to.  In the mean time retailers are hurting at lost sales, which will filter down to all of us in higher costs down the road.

With the new business from China, MS can sit. So it will be interesting to see if Vista will become the app of the future, or another MS Dog. It is the only game in town.

Check your motherboard and see if it supports 64 bit technology before you make the changes, some motherboards do not.

I agree with thundering1, your setup is excellent.  

2 gigs of ram are a max for 32 bit apps, but if you are to run x64 OS and apps, you will want 4 gigs or better, and in this case the more memory a 64 bit has the less drag on the system when rendering. 

Infinite and xStream will run on 32 or 64, the rest of Vue apps are 32 bit.

Anyone who can create an avatar that neat, "ain't no dummy!"   

Sorry, should have made myself clearer, agiel is correct, just means no updates availabe at the current time.  But as indicated they also say they are working on the next updates, especaily for the Poser problem. 

There were instructions for uninstalling the Infinite prerelease and installing the latest build on the e-On site.  Just follow the URL dlk provided.

The version and build should be on the Vue 6 Splash Screen that opens when you boot the app.  Or when Vue is open to the desktop, under the Command Menu, Help, About Vue 6 Pro Studio.

My final and current version and build is 6.05-04, 289779.  No more updates available.

I have had a reasonable amount of time to run Vista x86 and x64 through its paces the past few months. I have settled on the x64 due to minor improvements.

I did not have any issues with the Vista WDDM NVidia drivers, they performed well. However, they did not support many of the features that video cards have the ability to utilize, SSE, Shared Memory, a current OGL, and many more. MS is fond of cutting out all that may have the potential to destabilize the OS, and NVidia has instituted a Beta driver program to resolve broken app issues.

Beyond the necessity of having to have a least one computer using Vista, and the rich graphic look of Vista, ReadyBoost turned out to be a plus. For those who use the x86 system and cannot upgrade beyond 2 gigs of ram, they now can give an additional boost to the system with flash ram. I tried the option and installed a 200x USB Flash module that reads at 32 m and writes at 16 to 17 m. ReadyBoost used the flash ram to cache out 640 megs of Operating System to the USB drive. This allows the 2 gigs of ram to function at full capacity, and together does give a slight boost to the system in speed. This also works well on the x64 OS, but is not a substitute for 4 gigs versus 2 gigs. Microsoft says it is considering altering this deficiency in a later upgrade to include the ability for x64 systems with less than 4 gigs to use the Flash as an add-on, giving the x64 an additional boost without upgrading the mobo.

Here are some of the problems I have encountered this past month:

SATA drives that are not VISTA certified are a problem. An SATA drive must now be initialized before operation, special ID’s and security features. Some drives do not have the software written that can accomplish this.  You can do this by adding the drive while running a PATA, and then setting up the SATA with the Microsoft OS, then install to the SATA. You can see the potential for later problems.

Of course all of the Video Card drivers at the present are struggling to keep up with Vista and will take some time before they have the bugs worked out. All and all, most programs affected are users of high-end 3D features, like Vue, but new drivers are being written.

Beyond the installation of software and UAC, other security, and compatibility problems with third party software is Windows Defender. It constantly crashes the system. However, blue screens are few, and usually Windows kills the app and restarts the OS under the hood. Restarting the app is usually possible without a reboot. 

Side by Side is a problem, but can be remedied by installing the correct redistributable MFC package. Vista has the Winsxs Folder that installs older application required MFC packages. Normally this would cause a lot of trouble, but not now, you can install MFC’s with the same version and different dates and vice versa side by sidfe. This keeps all of the apps working normally without taking the system down.

Vista is still not very good at cleaning up after itself and a lot of useless files can remain on the hard drive. Several programs write very large files when they encounter an OS crash or other problem. Mini dumps and now Maxi dumps are common. On my system, in two crashes 1.3 gigs of crash files were created. You can get rid of these files with the Clean Drive app.

Many third party progs like to download and install a patch, and leave a copy that remains on the drive. I am not fond of this procedure, knowing that there is always a virus that can evade detection.  I would rather download the patch separate and scan the patch later before install.

Corel recently downloaded more than 300 megs of install files to the Download folder. You get rid of the patches and you cannot repair the app later. In one of these 120 meg patches that I downloaded from Corel , was a serious Worm Virus that was installed to my system that Norton could not remove, but did quarantine. I had to dump the partition, and reinstall a backup to get rid of the Virus. I have since shut down all automatic downloads and use the manual feature instead.

There are a lot of smaller issues, log files that keep getting dumped to the temp folders, and other hidden files and folders that tend to get large without your knowledge.

Vista has about a dozen programs working in the background logging and tracking everything going on in the OS and this is a valuable resource if you know how to get at the info.  This could also be a serious security risk.

Other than Vista being a bit faster than Win Xp, Win Xp is more stable. 

I would still recommend that if you buy Vista that you buy the Ultimate, although expensive, it has all of the features you would want when using a 3D package.  Just make sure your system can handle the overload.

Well, the manual I got wash black and white, not very good graphic image quality.  However, the CD also conatained, a high quality PDF User Manual.  So you could get the download, and pirnt the color manual out.  Depends on how much you want to save.  Because, a PDF could be printed to the size you want; bigger than the printed book.