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Thread: 64/32 Bit OS

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    64/32 Bit OS

    Hey all

    Would someone be kind enough to explain in layman terms the difference between the 32 and 64 Bit OS, specifically Windows 7? What are the benefits and disadvantages and importantly, which one should I be looking to get with my current Rig?

    Thanks for your help!

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    64Bit OSes are needed to address >4GB of RAM. At the moment that is the main driving force for 99% of people that adopt 64bit. Without it the most RAM you can have is 4GB and Windows will not even use all 4GB of it (do properties on My Computer and you may see ~ 3.25GB of RAM being listed)

    You can get some performance gains from it as well if an application has been specifically written for 64bit operation but very few are unfortunately.
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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    I have to admit, I am no expert so am not gong to try and give an explanation of the in's and out's of it. If you want a good overview of what its all about you could try here though:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit

    In practical terms, from my experience, these are the biggest issues:

    Windows 7 64 will recognise 4GB of memory upward, Windows 7 32 will only recognise about 3.5GB, so even if you have 8GB it won't use it.

    Drivers written for 32bit operating systems probably won't work in 64bit. So, if you have kit that only has 32 bit drivers (check manufacturer's websites) they probably won't work in Windows 7 64. This is probably the biggest negative of 64bit Windows, so make sure everything will work beforehand.

    If you don't have compatability issues then go for 64bit as it's futureproof.

    EDIT: Looks like shaithis beat me to it...

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    My way of looking at it is this ..... 64-bit has a series of advantages, and a series of disadvantages.

    Main advantages :-

    - potential for considerable performance benefits when applications fully take advantage
    - MUCH larger memory addressing
    - it's the future


    Main disadvantages :-

    - some level-level apps written for 32-bit won't work, though Win7 has an "XP Mode" option
    - old hardware may not be supported, and new drivers may not be available
    - 32-bit is going to fade, then die ... though probably over quite a long time


    When you see any new technology, being an early adopter means you get all the problems. But sticking with the old stuff means you lose out on the benefits of progress. The trick is not if to switch to new (64-bit) technology, but when. The answer is when you have to, or when the benefits are enough to justify the drawbacks.

    Personally, I work on the basis of not switching until I need to, in the early days. I stay with a safe, known quantity unless I need to switch. But a time comes when it's better to switch, unless there's good reason not to. For me, Win7 is the point at which my preference is to switch, so I'd advocate going 64-bit except where an individual has good reason not to. The latter obviously includes if hardware doesn't support it, but even more so if it means either considerable expense in updating applications where the app itself is still doing everything you need, or even more, if it means buying expensive new hardware.

    And even where it does mean buying expensive new hardware, you can always partition the hard drive and put a 32-bit OS on one, to support old hardware and apps if they're only used occasionally, and a 64-bit OS in the other partition, then choose which you want when you turn the PC on.

    I'm naturally conservative about these things (as you'll see if you've read the Vista versus XP debates on here in recent months) but, by and large, I think the time has now come to switch .... for me.

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    Main disadvantages :-

    - some level-level apps written for 32-bit won't work, though Win7 has an "XP Mode" option
    - old hardware may not be supported, and new drivers may not be available
    - it's going to fade, then die
    Should add that XP Mode is only available in Professional and Ultimate (and Enterprise), and that's primarily because it's designed to work with business software, like database stuff or word processors. It isn't designed for high intensity stuff like games.

    Also, not all versions of Windows come with both 32 bit and 64 bit options, so it may not be possible to dual boot without dual purchasing.

    I still think 32 bit should've been dropped for 7.

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    Agreed, snooty .... and it's an optional download and requires virtualisation too. I just didn't want to go into that in that post. I'm not so sure about dropping 32-bit though.

    As for dual-boot, I was more thinking of 64-bit W7 and 32-bit XP, so dual purchase might not be required. But, if you buy an upgrade rather than full version (which should also have both 32 and 64-bit ... in the full version I mean), then running the 64-bit you upgraded to and the 32-bit you upgraded from might well be against the licence terms (I'd expect it to be but haven't checked).

    There may well be people prepared to upgrade to W7 that don't have 64-bit hardware (including several of my machines). It's also, at least for full versions, a way of encouraging people to migrate OS now, knowing they can move to 64-bit when they upgrade hardware. It also helps convert people that have applications that require 32-bit and either can't justify upgrade costs or can't get newer versions. Especially in corporate environments where thousands of licences may be involved, not making a 32-bit option available might be what prevents a move to W7, or at least delays it for perhaps several years until the next PC infrastructure program kicks in.

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    Main disadvantages :-

    - some low-level apps written for 32-bit won't work, though Win7 has an "XP Mode" option
    - old hardware may not be supported, and new drivers may not be available
    - it's going to fade, then die
    Presumably "low-level" meant there and that 32bit is going to fade, then die (rather than 64 lol)!

    7 had to be 32bit as well - for the reasons you outlined and also because some fairly new hardware is still 32bit only (netbooks) plus why bother limiting your install base for no good reason? 32bit compilation is trivial if you've done the 64bit groundwork (the opposite isn't the case though). MS force the development of 64bit drivers for 7 (i.e. you have to do both not one or the other) too which has really helped create a level playing field for 64bit. The reality is (for must users) 64bit just works, hassle free, which is rather wonderful. 64bit also appears to do better in benchmarks (this was true with Vista too. I'd say the list of disadvantages should include:

    - requires more memory to run (so on <3gb systems you have to question it's worth)
    - requires driver signing by default (which eliminates for example Sandboxie because the dev has a serious chip on his shoulder about patch guard)

    But really, the best advice is to just try it - most people are pretty shocked when nothing goes wrong at all.. I do run 32bit on my netbook and media center as the former is a 32bit atom and the latter has just 2gb of RAM (oh and the codec support used to be ropey for 64bit - no longer the case now though).

    XP Mode is 'ok' - it works well and can see USB devices (which is a godsend) but it's cumbersome compared to Virtual PC 2007 (no drag and drop) and of course requires hardware virtualisation (unlike VPC 2007 too..). I'm hoping the final version is a bit better too - it seems to hitch when accessing the 'shares' to the host PC a fair bit.
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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    Quote Originally Posted by dangel View Post
    Presumably "low-level" meant there and that 32bit is going to fade, then die (rather than 64 lol)!
    ....
    I've corrected my daft typo ... thanks for pointing it out .... I think.

    And yes, I meant 32-bit will fade and die. I've amended that to be clearer too. Shame my typing fingers can't keep up with my thought process, init.

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    Don't forget that 16bit apps don't work under 64bit either, but it's only really old software and the occasional older installer you'd ever find using these. I don't think I've met anyone that has found this an issue.

    I find that "If you need to ask which version you need, you want 64bit" works well. Incompatibilities are so rare now it's just not worth worrying about in a home environment. That and it's almost certain that unless you have some specialist bespoke software wrote for you, other software will be out there to sort out any issues you might have.
    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    And by trying to force me to like small pants, they've alienated me.

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    Are games and online gaming affected by using a 64bit system?

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    Quote Originally Posted by Namor View Post
    Are games and online gaming affected by using a 64bit system?
    I've heard a few reports but I've never had any trouble with any of my games, many of which are fairly old.

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    Thanks, thats good to hear.
    I guess Ill find out myself after the 22nd.

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    ive used 64bit vista since october 2008 and havent had any issues.
    Before that i used vista 32bit. i decided i wanted to buy more memory so i phone up the oem i got the computer from and got 64bit media for the price of postage.
    depending on how you purchase windows 7 it may well come with both 64bit and 32bit media.
    the preorder deals should do. if youb have both media try 64bit. if everything you use works with it then stay with 64bit.

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    Re: 64/32 Bit OS

    I use 64-bit W7 (RC) at the moment on my main PC, and Vista 64-bit on laptop. I've never had any problems with stuff working, most stuff just installs into "/Program Files x86" and I assume the OS is doing some clever stuff in the background to run them. Either way, ive never had a problem getting any of my hardware or software to work - (and both these machines also have 4GB of RAM)

    I guess its one of those things, if you dont need to address 4GB + of memory, then there is very little performance increase to be had by using 64-bit and you MIGHT run into problems with drivers. Therefore may as well stay 32-bit. However in my experience these 'problems' are few and far between, so if you do have 4GB of RAM, why not use it to the full and go for it!

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