Is it worth the change.

[gravyonmychin]

Im building a new pc. It will have an Athlon Phenom 8750 and Corsair Dominator 1066mhz ram (PC8500-4gb).2X sata 250gb HD. I have xp pro 32 bit at the mo for my operating system. I am aware that I need 64 bit to recognize this ram, is that all, does the ram still function perfectly ok on 32 bit, its just that Ive read a lot about 64 bit not supporting 32 bit drivers, compatability with various programs and all sorts of s**t, and need other opinions as to why it would benefit me to get the 64 bit if memory is about all it helps me with, so long as it works, who cares if it cant be seen?...every opinion would be greatly appreciated. Again heartfelt thanks in advance.

[jimbouk]

If you do go down the 64bit route, make a list of all the things you need support for and check them out. Driver support is a lot better than it was, compatibility issues can occur however so it there is anything you can't do without then that'd be the deciding factor. For me I have had no driver issues on XP-64, and the only software issue I have had are 4OD and the Sony phone update software so far.

But as you have only 4GB of ram it might not be worth the hassle. Most of the ram will be detected (3.5GB ish depending on graphics) and will just work, so unless you are thinking about adding more ram later then the cost/hassle of changing OS probably outweighs the benefit.

Hope this helps! (ps there was a similar thread not that long ago about this sort of thing)

[Lucio]

XP 64bit isn't worth the time, so if you can't stand to make the change to Vista, stick with 32bit.

Vista 64 has been perfectly stable for me with no issues other than those you'd normally expect learning a new OS.

[Nailz]

I've been using Vista x64 since the beginning of 2007 now and I can't say a bad word about it.

I have no issues with it whatsoever. In the beginning I had a problem with my Asus 8600GT OC Gear LCD display because the driver that Cypress semiconductor corp had made for it was not signed..... and Vista x64 will not load signed drivers. There are ways around it but it does affect the stablity of the OS and usually they arent permanent changes.

As far as driver support goes for other hardware, I'd say nearly 100% of kit released after mid 2007 would have full x64 support by now. Even an old creative soundblaster PCI card I've got has x64 driver support under Vista - magic!

[hillbilly]

A lot of open-source software doesn't have much of a 64-bit following... just sayin'.

[dangel]

Originally Posted by gravyonmychin

Im building a new pc. It will have an Athlon Phenom 8750 and Corsair Dominator 1066mhz ram (PC8500-4gb).2X sata 250gb HD. I have xp pro 32 bit at the mo for my operating system. I am aware that I need 64 bit to recognize this ram, is that all, does the ram still function perfectly ok on 32 bit, its just that Ive read a lot about 64 bit not supporting 32 bit drivers, compatability with various programs and all sorts of s**t, and need other opinions as to why it would benefit me to get the 64 bit if memory is about all it helps me with, so long as it works, who cares if it cant be seen?...every opinion would be greatly appreciated. Again heartfelt thanks in advance.

Vista x64 is faster than it's 32bit cousin, the driver support is excellent (yes you do need 64bit drivers but they're readily available for most things) and it runs 32bit programs very well too. 32bit Windows is a cul de sac - as soon as you need 3gb+ of RAM it's outdated. Just do it

[choongsta]

Really? I've heard that the driver support for vista x64 was terrible

[kidzer]

Driver support for XP x64 wasn't great - but Vista is different for sure.

I beleive somebody on Hexus has said that for a device to be 'Vista Certified' it has to have working 32 and 64-bit drivers, if that's the case, it has probably helped 64-bit users because it has forced the hand of companies who want their products to have the 'Vista Certified' kudos.

[dangel]

Originally Posted by choongsta

Really? I've heard that the driver support for vista x64 was terrible

From who?

Plenty of people (myself included) running it on multiple systems without issue. Even the bog standard HP i'm using now runs great.

[Maz_D]

Vista x64 has good driver support for the majority of hardware made in the last few years. I've been using it for over a year now with no problems.

[mdjmcnally]

The only reason I would say to avoid Vista x64 at the moment is if you need to install a VPN Client for work.

For home users building a new PC then really shouldn't be a problem with 64 bit drivers.

When Vista x64 launched yes driver support wasn't great, but that is all sorted now. People saying driver support poor for 64bit Vista need to look at the situation now, not when it was launched.