Vista X64 or x86

[Russ]

I'm considering buying vista, but don't know whether to go with the x86 or x64. XP 64 had minimal driver support, is vista the same? or should i get the x64 for the marginal (if any??) improvements

[RavenNight]

I'm running Vista Ultimate x64 and haven't had any major issues, everything seems to work perfectly, in some cases (like my TV card) better than in x86 XP Professional.

[Blitzen]

I'm considering buying vista, but don't know whether to go with the x86 or x64. XP 64 had minimal driver support, is vista the same? or should i get the x64 for the marginal (if any??) improvements

64 Bit Vista is fine.
I have run it for a while now with very few problems and its stable as anything i have ever used.

If you have a 64bit machine then why take a backward step when there is no reason to

[redddraggon]

Same as previously said, don't waste money on x86.

[aidanjt]

I've been using XP x64 for awhile, it's better than 32bit XP Pro tbh. Driver support is fine now for most things. Vista x86_64 support is better still in most cases. It doesn't make any sense of any kind to use 32bit operating systems anymore except for maybe testing as a VMware guest.

[eddta]

What are exactly the advantages of the 64 bit version over the 32 bit one?

[Agent]

What are exactly the advantages of the 64 bit version over the 32 bit one?

>4GB RAM with ease and 64bit addressing over 32bit (not important yet, but as the 64bit version gathers pace, there will be more 64bit optimised apps)

If you have a 64bit capable system, its probably better to ask "What would I gain by not going 64bit?"

I really do think that the 32bit version will be a shadow of the 64bit one in the coming years.

[eddta]

So are there no compatability issues with the 64 bit version now? have most companies made their drivers and programs compatible now.

[Agent]

So are there no compatability issues with the 64 bit version now? have most companies made their drivers and programs compatible now.

Your mileage will vary.
The major manufactures have drivers in place that are working. Notable exceptions are Creative (but did you really expect anything less?), that only support fairly basic functionality at the moment.

It really depends on what you have in your system. Modern ones with up to date components will have little / no issues compared to a system using older parts (the manufactures are less inclined to write drivers for obsolete hardware).

As im sure Blitzen will tell you - He has no issues under Vista, and has all his hardware working hunky-dory
Others don't have as much luck, but the issues that are encountered are usually not major any more. Driver updates are also happening much more regularly.

I would not recomend going for 32bit unless you need 16bit application support, which apparently the 64bit version has dropped. Needing this though is very unlikely (If you dont know that you need it, then you wont)

[Blitzen]

If you have a 64bit capable system, its probably better to ask "What would I gain by not going 64bit?"

Good statemnet...I wish i had thought of that.

As im sure Blitzen will tell you - He has no issues under Vista, and has all his hardware working hunky-dory