Windows 7 or win xp for games

hi all,
I'm building a gaming pc and was wondering if i should use a lite version of windows 7 or a lite version of windows xp, keeping in mind i will be dual-booting with a normal retail version of win 7.
Thanks in advance

What exactly do you mean by lite version?

If I am following correctly, you are asking which OS (Windows 7 or XP) to dual boot with retail Windows 7. Why exactly would you dual boot two copies of Windows 7?

like a cut down version where nearly all the "unnecessary" bits are taken out (For gaming any ways)

Ahh OK - I see where you are going.

I wish I could answer your question, I'm not a gamer myself so I shouldn't even attempt. I was confused and figured clarification wouldn't hurt.

To be honest I think that using XP or 7 for gaming would be a personal issue. Have you had any issues with games playing on Windows 7 vs XP?

not really it's just because of my lack of ram *cough,512mb,cough* lol thats why i wanted to know if xp would run a bit smoother for games because it needs less system resources.

If I'm not mistaken Windows 7 would be comparable to Windows XP on using resources, if you didn't use Windows Aero. You already mentioned the copy used for gaming would be a cut down version. But like I said I'm not qualified to give an answer so I will wish you luck on your new build. Maybe someone that really knows will respond quickly.

FWIW, id say, before you even bother with figuring out what dualboot to use, is get more RAM. these days a minimum of 2/4 is needed for any proper gaming.
thats just my POV tho.

I would say stick with XP. Half a GB of RAM does not even meet the system requirements for W7-32bit. Your memory will limit you to older games anyway.

I used to dual-boot XP back in the old days before 7 came out. I used a stripped install of XP as a gaming installation, where everything that wasn't necessary to keep running was disabled or uninstalled. This is because XP's performance deteriorates much faster than 7's, or that has been my experience anyway.

With Windows 7 I have not seen any benefits from doing that, although I did try it. The system itself does slow down over time, but strangely enough it does not seem to affect third-party applications, games included, much.

I would not go back to XP if it were not for the surprisingly small amount of RAM you have in your system. In your case a separate XP gaming installation is probably necessary rather than an option.

I would if it weren't for the fact I spent all my mongeeyy on my hdd.