Originally Posted by Martin3

There's quit a bit you need to tweak in XP as well. That's the main reason I stayed with 2kpro for 7 years. XP didn't do anything 2kpro couldn't do. It wasn't any faster or more stable.
Even today I'd still recommend 2kpro over XP. My only reason for using Vista is that it's simply faster for what I do on a daily basis once setup properly.

It's all personal preference though. Go with what ever OS you're most proficient on and causes you the least amount of stress.