OS question

[CrazedAssembler]

For a gaming rig I'd like to make, I was wondering if there is a big difference between XP home and XP pro. I hear people say that pro is more stable and all that fun stuff, but has anyone really noticed a difference between the two? If it isn't that big of a difference, would I be better off just saving the $50? Thanks in advance.

-CA

[doctorgonzo]

No, XP Pro is not more stable than XP Home. They share the same kernel. What XP pro gives you is some additional features that may be more useful in a high-end/business environment: the ability to join a domain, support for many processors, finer-grained security and access controls, and so on. If you don't need any of these features, there is no need to get XP Pro.

[Thurrdome]

XP Pro also has better security features. I would highly recommend buying it.

[blue60007]

XP Pro also has better security features. I would highly recommend buying it.

If you aren't going to use the features of XP Pro, you shouldn't spend more on something you aren't going to use. I don't really think it's any more secure than Home (but maybe it is if you've got an article or something you can show).

[doctorgonzo]

XP Pro is not "more secure" than XP Home. It gives you greater control over user objects, and file and directory security, but it is not more secure in any meaningful way. These extra security options are meant for fine control of filesharing or if more than one person will be using the computer and you need to keep things separate. If you do not need these features, it is silly to pay for them.

[not important]

I have both and I would not pay the price differnce for Pro, unless you really need the extra security options.