Windows Vista is slow and Still has bugs even after SP 1.

Linux has 6 program execution priority levels built into every desktop distribution. This allows animation and rendering to proceed in the background while you’re doing other things.

The 6 execution layers also help computer clusters, Beowolf machines, and render farms like the old AutoCad versions - R-12, R-13 in software. Researchers using Linux on Energy Plus software, a Department of Energy building heating simulation, reported recently that re-compiling the code using the Intel FORTRAN compiler version 11 for the specific machine resulted in runs 30% faster than Windows XP. These runs can take as long as 2 hours on high rise buildings.

Suggest you try SuSE Linux for tech uses, and “Open SuSE Unleashed” Michael McCallister, SAMS,
ISBN 978-0-672-32945-6
It has a bootable DVD with the operating system and tons of add ons for $50. OpenSuSE.org has free help and they are very good tracking any bugs that come up. Open Office word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation software runs on Windows XP or Linux so you can switch around.
A program called ‘Wine’ easily simulates Windows XP.

Stick with Nvidia Quadro series video cards, and take a look at their ‘Cuda project to reuse the graphics processors that are otherwise idle during computations…

I would recommend Windows for this… (though I’m a great fan of Linux).

It is true, Linux can work great, but you will be greatly stuck with OpenGL for real time rendering. With Windows, you can have OpenGL as well as DirectX.

For Non-Real Time rendering, like in Ray-Tracing, Linux should be equally good, maybe even better, considering its stability.

Moreover, Manufacturers don’t seem to make their graphics drivers for Linux as optimal as their Windows counterparts (though this is just my personal opinion).