if building a new computer...

[phatpat]

just a quick question from a computer-building newb:
if building a new gaming comp...could you use a free OS? like linux?
again, i have never built one, so if its absolutely ridiculous that im asking this i apologize

[moarpheus]

oh god no, I recommend vista ultimate or windows 7 for gaming.

[Vandrel]

You could probably get by on certain linux distros but in general, Windows 7 is your best option. Vista is alright as a last resort, but it's far from optimal.

[phatpat]

so OS's have a direct impact on gameplay, visuals, etc?
again, sorry for the lack of knowledge :P

[Valthios]

Well the problem with a linux distro is that it can be hit and miss for game support. It can work, but you have to know what you're doing and be a lot more hands on than if you went with Win7. Win 7 is nice since it's very stable, has full driver/hardware support, and has a low impact on mem usage etc.

Vista works as well, but is more of a resource hog than Win 7. iOS is an option if you only play WoW, but if you want a true gaming rig than Apple OS's aren't a real option.

[eternalwhitemoon]

Linux is not a good option for you if you're not experienced.

[Valthios]

Also, if you're a student you can usually get REALLY cheap copy of Win 7 (like $25~35), and if you aren't, head over to newegg.com and buy an OEM copy. You can usually get em for 40% less than the retail box.

[phatpat]

awesome, thanks for the replies

[dfarrall]

do NOT go for linux if your not familier with it - You will not be able to do anything at all without learning alot of code.
No games are supported, so you have to use an emulator like WINE which is pain in the ass.
if your a student they can get cheap copies of win7 from sites (google)

[vesseblah]

Linux does not support DirectX too well, which means there's some picture quality issues, but the performance is fairly similar on Nvidia cards with games that do work at all. Linux drivers for AMD cards are still pretty bad and gaming will suck whole lot more.

WoW is totally playable in Linux with Nvidia card, but beyond that it's 50/50 if your favourite games work or not.

[Solux]

Basically OS has an impact on how easy it is to get Tech support if something goes wrong and how much work it is to update if you do something like upgrade part of your computer.

If you don't know Linux already, this isn't a good place to start, as others have said. I also recommend you get Windows 7.