Which XP version Should I Order For gaming through Boot Camp??

Question

I went on newegg.com searching for Windows XP, but I saw that there were things like "64bit OEM version" and "SP2B Home edition" and "Professional SP3"???
All i would like to know is:
1.) What does this tech lingo refer to?
2.) Which is the best Windows XP version for Gaming?
Thanks alot for reading and please HELP!

Answer 1

1. 64bit OEM version. Most consumer operating systems are 32 bit. 64 bit systems have some theoretical advantages, e.g. their ability to address more physical and virtual memory. But to experience these advantages the program or game must be written for a 64 bit system. Not that many are. And there is an ongoing problem with finding drivers for 64 bit OS's, so all your peripherals may not work. Pro comes either in a 32 or 64 bit version.
OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer. An OEM version is meant to be sold only to system builders who then assume responsibility for support. Microsoft will not support an OEM version. Most people though just see it as a cheap way to get the OS, as it is much cheaper than the retail version. It comes unboxed, just a disc.
When you try to activate it you may have to lie to Microsoft and say you are a system builder, but it's a lie Microsoft has heard many times.
2.SP2 Home Edition of XP. Home Edition is the version of XP most users have on their system. SP2 refers to Service Pack 2, a collection of updates to XP (including security updates). It rolls many updates into one big installation. Home only comes in a 32 bit version.
3.XP Professional SP3. XP, both Home and Pro now have a third service pack which again rolls up many, many updates. If you bought an SP 2 version of either pro or Home, when you ran Update after your installation it would list SP 3. So an SP 3 version of either Home or Pro is more up-to-date. However. installing SP 3 without updating to Boot Camp 2.1 usually results in an error message which prevents installation, and Boot Camp 2.1 can't be installed until after you have installed windows as it is installed from within windows. I believe it's best to install SP2, but before doing so, download the SP3 stand-alone installer from Microsoft's website (as well as the Boot Camp 2.1 installer from Apple).
Then you can immediately install Boot Camp 2.1 and SP3 (which you've cleverly burned to cd/dvd or put on a flash drive) after completing your Windows install.This leaves you with a system that is much better patched before you venture out onto the Internet to get even more Windows updates, and also seems to cause many less installation problems.
As far as Pro vs. Home - Pro has some advantages but does cost more. Pro can access 2 physical processors (not just 2 cores on 1 processor), but that would only make a difference if you were using a Mac Pro, not an IMac or MacBook Pro.
Pro was originally aimed at business (and power) users. Since it's regarded as a business OS, Microsoft will continue to provide (security) updates for it far longer than they will Home (it's standard policy for Microsoft to do this for business versions of their OS for obvious reasons), so that's a plus.
4.As far as gaming goes, the 32 bit version of Home is what almost every gamer I know uses. If you need a driver for XP and it exists it exists for 32bit Home.
However, I do know people who swear by the 64 bit version and/or Pro, and there are some games with 64 bit versions. But when most people say "XP" what they mean is 32 bit Home.