Best OS for X3?

Apologies in advance for this question that must have been asked before.  I searched the forum several times but was surprised to get no results.
 
I'm on Vista Business SP2 and SONAR X1 Producer.  I'm thinking of upgrading to X3 Producer and wonder what is the most stable, reliable OS for it.  In my book those words generally don't describe any version of Windows, so I stress the word "most" above. :-)
 
If it matters, my CPU is i7 920 2.67 GHz, with 6 GB RAM.  
 
Thanks!
Larry

Any supported 64 bit Windows OS will do (that is Windows 7 and above), although it makes sense to run it on the latest.

scook
I would think it might make more sense to run on the latest OS the hardware supports. Make sure your hardware (including audio interface) support the target OS or you might have to upgrade hardware too.

That's a valid but separate point. Advice equally applies to Windows 7 as well as Windows 8 or 8.1. The best OS for X3D has to be at least one of these if not all of them or some of them. Hardware compatibility yup that is important.

btw, If your Motherboard supports (which I am sure it does, up your RAM to at least 16gb of DDR3)...also SSD for the main HD is very efficient.

CakeAlexS
Working well on 12Gb here, to be honest 8Gb might have been fine as well. I would have had 16Gb but the 4Gb sticks that were supplied were not from the same manufacturer (therefore didn't work together correctly) and my suppliers refused to refund me (a**holes). I should have sued...

*facepalm* 

The whole memory debate tho....depends on how you set your system up but 8-16gb of DDR3 in matched pairs of the same make should be ample.

I am one of those users that has the Net, VMWARE and god knows what muck running while I am using Sonar at the same time but 16gb for now serves me well.

vintagevibe

markyzno
Stay away from Win 7....theres many more issues with it and more than Win 8 (such as the dreaded Black Screen of Death)

Your problems are not the norm.  I've been on Win7/64 for years and it has been rock solid.  My laptop is on Win8 and it runs my music app no different than Win7.  Everyone I know that uses Win7 for music has a very solid system.

I used to work in IT and am MS qualified and my Sister works for MS (blah blah blah) and believe me Win 7 can be a real buzz bear when it wants to be, so far with Win 8 I havent had one BSOD or a Black SOD or Driver issues etc etc, its by far the most stable OS MS have released yet (once configured and checked that all drivers are available)

Such things are subjective tho, I never had any issues with Vista believe it or not and then had a heap of crap from Win 7, there are so many variables its hard to really nail it on the head BUT having said that, my fellow Win 8 users that I know have had zero problems asides from a premature install without having checked that all their hardware and software runs on Win 8, but again - there are workarounds.

markyzno
 

I used to work in IT and am MS qualified and my Sister works for MS (blah blah blah) and believe me Win 7 can be a real buzz bear when it wants to be, so far with Win 8 I havent had one BSOD or a Black SOD or Driver issues etc etc, its by far the most stable OS MS have released yet (once configured and checked that all drivers are available)

Such things are subjective tho, I never had any issues with Vista believe it or not and then had a heap of crap from Win 7, there are so many variables its hard to really nail it on the head BUT having said that, my fellow Win 8 users that I know have had zero problems asides from a premature install without having checked that all their hardware and software runs on Win 8, but again - there are workarounds.

I worked in IT also for many years yada yada yada...   I just don't think it's good advice to stay way from Win7.  

vintagevibe

markyzno
 

I used to work in IT and am MS qualified and my Sister works for MS (blah blah blah) and believe me Win 7 can be a real buzz bear when it wants to be, so far with Win 8 I havent had one BSOD or a Black SOD or Driver issues etc etc, its by far the most stable OS MS have released yet (once configured and checked that all drivers are available)

Such things are subjective tho, I never had any issues with Vista believe it or not and then had a heap of crap from Win 7, there are so many variables its hard to really nail it on the head BUT having said that, my fellow Win 8 users that I know have had zero problems asides from a premature install without having checked that all their hardware and software runs on Win 8, but again - there are workarounds.

I worked in IT also for many years yada yada yada...   I just don't think it's good advice to stay way from Win7.  

Yada yada then! 

Its all subjective.

My Win 7 issues (Black Screen of Death) were Graphics card related and believe they were way worse than a Blue Screen Of Death.
 
Google them, theres alot of Black Screen of Death issues out there.

But yes, Win 7 is great for alot of people, as is Win 8....

Its sensible in reference to the OP the upgrade path should be to Win 7, especially if no hardware will be upgraded....

However Win 8 has been out for a while now and its tried and tested and pretty darned good, and lets not forget that under the hood its just another Vista service pack (as was Win 7)..and a good one it is too.

Win 8 Metro sucks tho if youre not using TScreen, but you get used to it, and 8.1 helps.

I like Windows 8 and 8.1. Windows 7 is also a viable OS. This is in regards Sonar.  My old Vista and XP are no longer supported for Sonar. The only reason to stay away from Windows 7 is because its not the latest OS. Otherwise its very good. 

markyzno
Stay away from Win 7....theres many more issues with it and more than Win 8 (such as the dreaded Black Screen of Death)

Ha get that in Win 8 occasionally as well :)... It's those pesky Nvidia drivers for that I am certain (at least in my case). Black screens are almost always video drivers anyway... well that's my perception after coming across it so many times... Solution is to use earlier drivers and avoid updating (until NVidia fixes this which will probably be never).

I just ordered 8.1. I'm excited to see if there's any performance tweaks they've given it which would make Sonar run a little smoother. In the meantime, I can only say one thing. Windows 7 is rock solid, so long as you don't do anything stupid....like connect it to the Internet. But seriously, if you had a Windows 7 machine on known reliable hardware, operated by a single user, only the exact software installed that you need for Sonar, no free plug-ins from untrusted developers, and running BitDefender, I would imagine, you will be even more solid than many Mac's out there running Pro-Tools.
 
Most problems I've encountered were either related to possible bugs from plug-ins or Sonar. Everything else seems magically stable.

Thanks for the helpful replies, particularly about driver support which I hadn't thought of.
 
FWIW it looks like my audio interface, a Mackie 400F, is the deciding factor.  Mackie only has a Win 7 driver for it, but it also includes a firmware update for the unit itself.  Given the problems I've had with it - short story: I used to use DP on Mac but the 400F didn't work with OSX; Mackie Tech support was non-existent for that particular unit; when I upgraded computers I switched to PC/SONAR - I don't want to risk monkeying with it.  It works fine with X1 on Vista so I guess I'll stick with it for now.
 
ld

I've thought about upgrading my interface a few times over the years.  I love the mic pres on the 400F - they're almost as good as my UA 6167 (which has a 610 pre in it) for comparison, and there are 4 of them.  Before I switched to PC I bought a MOTU 828 mk II and kept the 400F just for the pres.  I think I would try to upgrade my CPU/memory in this current machine (a nice thing about PC's) before buying a whole new one.  But that's all moot until I upgrade Windows/SONAR and my audio interface.  I'd love to have an RME interface but can't justify the expense when I have M-Audio BX5A monitors (weakest link) and have been "building a modular" (synth) for about 10 years and have 4 modules in it, including the power supply, haha.

I haven't had any of those W7 problems either. Totally fine. Not that I don't have other probz...
 
I miss XPsp2. Stablest OS I've ever had.