32bit vs. 64bit Win7

[Squawk7777]

All right! I need some advice please. I am quite fed up with Vista (Business edition) and ready to upgrade to W7. The only issue that I have is whether to go for the 32 bit or the 64 bit version. I was told that my computer should be able to handle the 64 bit version: 2.4 Ghz, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS.

My main issue is with software compatibility, such as Photoshop, or games like Left 4 dead, Grand Theft Auto etc. Will 32 bit apps run?

My other issue is memory. If I am not mistaken W7 can handle up to 8GB RAM, my machine is maxed out at 4 GB. Are 4 GB sufficient to run W7 64 bit? Or will it behave like Vista with 1GB RAM?

Any ppruner out there with 64bit W7 experience?

Thanks,

7 7 7 7

[onetrack]

Forget the 64 bit stuff. Despite IT geeks salivating and writing up articles that reek of superlatives, about 64 bit chips, the reality is that virtually nothing you want to use is compatible with 64 bit.
I rebuilt the wifes computer a couple of years ago, and took the breathless advice of geeks, and installed a 64 bit chip, and installed 64 bit Vista - and it's the worst thing I've ever done. Virtually nothing that we try to plug in to it, will work - and the "incompatible program" message is prompt and frequent.
Select 32 bit, it will do all you want in a highly satisfactory manner, and you'll have no compatibility problems whatsoever, with current programs you are using. I don't have any experience of W7 with 64 bit, but as it's based on Vista, I don't see where they could have done anything substantial about improving compatibility. I'm running W7 on my laptop, and it's 32 bit, and it works very well.

[Bushfiva]

If you have 4GB RAM, you probably won't see any difference between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7. Older peripherals may not have 64-bit drivers.

I'm running 64-bit Windows on one machine with 12GB RAM because I have a couple of applications that work better on 64 bits. It's fast and relaxed. On your machine, L4D will probably slow down a little.

32-bit Windows 7 can address 4GB RAM and will actually have access to around 3.5GB, depending on your video card.

The maximum memory for the various 64-bit version of Windows 7 are as follows, unless anything's changed recently:

Starter: 8GB
Home Basic: 8GB
Home Premium: 16GB
Professional: 192GB
Enterprise: 192GB
Ultimate: 192GB

Ignoring the Atom, the last consumer desktop 32-bit Intel CPU, the original P4, hit the market in early 2004. CPUs since 2005 have been 64 bits.

[green granite]

If it's any help,I run 64 bit W7, and I have no problems at all, it runs Photoshop fine cant talk about games as I don't play them.

Yes 4 gigs is enough to run it, if you're doing a clean install then you can always "suck it and see" and then dump it for the 32bit if necessary.

[Specaircrew]

I'm running W7 64bit on my Toshiba Satellite X200 having upgraded it from 32 bit Vista. It runs perfectly and noticeably faster with no software compatability issues and takes advantage of the full 4Gb of RAM which Vista didn't. Unless you've got some very old hardware you shouldn't have a problem as 64 bit drivers are available for most things these days. Do a clean install and your old Windows installation will be saved to a folder so that you can 'rescue' the stuff you forgot to back up!

[Spitoon]

Like gg, I'm running W7 64-bit. Decided to try 64-bit version when I rebuilt the machine knowing that I could switch to the 32-bit version if I needed to.

No problems at all. Can't say if it is all faster/better/superer but Photoshop 64-bit certainly feels fast - but this is based on nothing more than an unscientific gut feeling. Don't do games so I can't offer any thoughts.

The only hardware snag has been with HP devices for which drivers were not available for a long time - but that related to W7 rather than 64- or 32-bit issues. For older software, including drivers, the way that W7 seems to handle compatibility management seems very good - I think MS has finally got it right.

[Saab Dastard]

The main advantages of 64-bit over 32-bit are the addressable RAM space and the speed of execution of most applications.

The first only applies if you already have more than 3 GB RAM, the second only for native 64-bit apps.

The problems are that device drivers have to be 64-bit, as do certain types of applications, such as AV.

There's a useful 32/64 comparison on the MS site here:

32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/32-bit-and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions)

It refers to Vista but would be equally applicable to Win7.

SD

[ZEEBEE]

On the other hand, if you got an Apple with OS X the system runs everything it needs to run at 64 bits while perfectly coexisting with 32 bit apps that have no 64b equivalents. :E

The 64/32 bit thing is totally transparent (as it should be)

No doubt Windows will catch up one day....

[green granite]

No doubt Windows will catch up one day.

It already has, sorry to disappoint you. I have no problems with 32bit Apps whatsoever. :p

[Blues&twos]

Upgraded from 64bit Vista to 64bit W7, have had no problems....yet.

[Windows7Guy]

Hello Squawk7777,
Just a bit of FYI to understand the issues with 32-bit and 64-bit OS upgrades and later options that may or may not be available to you later:
When upgrading from Windows Vista to Windows 7 you must upgrade the version currently installed within Windows Vista to the corresponding version in Windows 7. I.E. Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium; Windows Vista Business to Windows 7 Professional; and Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate. You also cannot upgrade a 32-bit operating system to 64-bit -- to migrate from 32-bit to 64-bit will require a custom install.
Additionally, you will not be able to "upgrade" from a 32-bit version of Windows 7 to 64-bit -- the architecture between the two is too drastically different to allow such a change. To learn more about the differences between a 32-bit operating system and 64-bit please go to the following link: 32-bit and 64-bit Windows: frequently asked questions (http://bit.ly/2aT3xP)
I hope that helps you out!
You can also find lots of information on Windows 7 here in our Springboard website:
Windows Client | Deploy, Manage, Desktop, 7, Vista, XP | TechNet (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/default.aspx)
Thanks again,
John M.
Microsoft Windows Client Support

[rickity]

Windows 7 hmmm defiantly a mixed experience here.

New PC with windows 7 ultimate 64bit preinstalled - didn’t like Bluetooth USB, USB TP Link wireless, Maxtor usb drive. Samsung phone app.
Tried a clean install of windows 7 ultimate 64bit ( had to cough up for the disk)on another partition still had to upgrade all the previously mentioned and still had BSOD all over the place, completely random. Began to think I had a hardware problem or usb power problem. (all of the above worked fine on XP pro) Zone alarm wont install on the clean install - asks for vista sp1 to be installed, but is ok on the pre install and as far as i can make out they have the same updates applied.

So its been lots of "fun", seems to more or less sorted now (but I’m not sure how) As this has been the first computer I have actually brought in one piece for many a year having previously upgraded many times, its been a bit of a disappointment. But there again I've learnt a bit more about windows 7. Pity I forgot the first lesson don’t buy a new OS until SP1 at least is available

[cats_five]

I have yet to come across a 32 bit application that will not run under Win 7 64 bit.
<snip>


There are a few that will run under XP but not W7 - the CheckVPN client I have to use to connect to one of my customers is an example - but I agree that they are few and far between. There is another that I believe is OK with 32-bit but not 64-bit W7 because of a Microsoft snafu.

There are also a few programs / websites that turn off the Aero effects and fail to turn the back on again. PaintShopPro both turns them off and on again when it exits.

But in general I agree with you, I am very plesased with it. Especially since as an Open University student I got it for a tad under £40 - I got the CD version as there were a lot of issues with the downloads.

IMHO the main problem for many users isn't W7 itself but hardware drivers. A lot of them for older kit are now bundled in with the OS but they are often lacking in functionality compared to the full versions. Since both my printers are less than a year old I was able to download W7 drivers for them, and of course I had to get them for the motherboard.

[izod tester]

At the weekend my printer server died so I had to purchase a new one quickly. PC World didn't have anything, but Staples had a Belkin Network USB hub which also includes a printer server. Installed at home and my wife's Vista PC and 2 childrens XP laptops detect and can use the usb devices connected to the hub perfectly. My 64 bit Win 7 PC will not detect anything. Belkin support suggested I download and reinstall the latest driver and install in Vista compatibility mode - still doesn't work. Belkin suggest that I should now wait an unspecified period until Win 7 drivers are issued! Fortunately, a virtual XP machine running on the Win 7 box can see the network usb hub, so I currently have to copy any documents into the virtual machine and print them from there.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

New PC with windows 7 ultimate 64bit preinstalled - didn’t like Bluetooth USB, USB TP Link wireless, Maxtor usb drive. Samsung phone app.
Sounds like you bought it from the wrong shop then.

If I buy a new computer with pre-installed software that doesn't work it goes back until they either fix it or give up and give me my money back.

so I currently have to copy any documents into the virtual machine and print them from there
Or you could network the virtual machine to the real one and print round the virtual network without having to copy first.

[MG23]

Firefox only provide a 32 bit supported version but it is not a problem an d will not be as Adobe Flash has still yet to deliver a 64 bit version - so with so many websites these days using Flash media, there is no point to running the 64 bit version of IE.

I've been running 64-bit Firefox with 64-bit Flash on Linux for months, so I've no idea why they're not available for Windows?

[Ancient Observer]

Request for update please........

I've done the google searching, I've read the M/S website, I've searched other sites - and even the comments here.

I'm still not sure about 64 bit vs 32 bit.

Background - not completely illiterate with IT, but Mike B and mixture are premier league compared to my junior southern counties league standard. (Or, more appropriately, given the forthcoming events in Kiwi-country, I'm Broughton Park 5th team to their Wasps 1st team).

Currently on XP SP3 on an old AMD Sempron with c 750 RAM.
It does the easy stuff - Net, e-mail, i-tunes, photos, very well. I even graduated from OE to O as a result of help from pprune. BUT - it doesn't do 2 or more things at once. if it does, they are slow.

Playing with videos is excruciatingly slow, and some simple actions with videos scare the little men in the box so much that they all lie down at the same time, and only the "off" switch makes the pc work.

So I want to upgrade and future proof myself. I understand that an i5 2310 or 2500 will do nicely, (I'm not a gamer) and that if I go for 32 bit, there is no point in getting any more than 4gb RAM. If I get 64 bit and 8 gb RAM then it might be better/quicker/smoother and all that - and, allegedly, it will future proof me.

Er, is it worth it? The expense isn't the issue, I'm just scared about things not working cos of the 64 bit label.....

Help, and update, please.
thank you
AO

[A A Gruntpuddock]

When I ordered my new pc it was advertised with 32 bit Win 7 Home but arrived with 64 bit installed.

Oh ****, I thought but am totally delighted with it. Even 32 bit stuff usually works although Windows sometimes has to try a couple of time to get the right environment for it.

[Spurlash2]

The only 'issue' I have with Win 7 64 bit on my laptop is running IE. The default is 64 bit IE, which doesn't always play. But on the Start button is the 32 bit version which plays nicely. Other browsers are available:)

[MG23]

The only things that don't work on 64-bit Windows 7 are old 16-bit programs, old drivers (e.g. if you use a printer which doesn't have 64-bit drivers) and maybe a very few 32-bit applications that do something weird, though I've never come across one. There's also the issue mentioned above, where plugins may not exist for 64-bit IE if you use it. Otherwise there's no reason whatsoever to pick 32-bit Windows 7 over 64-bit if the CPU supports it. Unfortunately there are very few 64-bit Windows apps so far, but they'll become increasingly common and some games actually require 64-bit for best performance now because they want reliable access to more than 2GB of RAM.

[Saab Dastard]

SoCal App is absolutely right to recommend a decent graphics card - that makes far more difference to Win 7 than an extra 4 GB RAM (IMHO).

What I have done is to start with 4GB RAM and 64-bit Win 7, leaving half the memory slots free to upgrade (double the RAM) should I feel the need.

I have 2 systems running win 7 - the slightly older PC has the same AMD dual-core CPU (2.4 rather than 3GHz part) and RAM as the newer system, but an AGP 8X video adapter, and is waaaay slower than the PCI-Express system as a result (I eschew the aero interface on the AGP system). Hence comment above!

I haven't encountered too many problems with 64-bit, other than drivers: I've had to work hard to find 64-bit drivers for my printers and scanner - and I've given up on the DAB radio PCI card. To be fair, I think I'd have had problems with win 7 32-bit drivers for those as well, judging from the research I did.

SD

[tony draper]

Got my home made 3.4 Ghz Quad core AMD Phenom and 9400 geforce I gig graphic card running 64 bit win 7 it only has 4 gig of ram at the mo but it runs like a greased pig,only new drivers I downloaded were 64 bit drivers for the graphic card, not even sure if that was neccessary,had nary a problem with it ere now.
:)

[Ancient Observer]

Thank you for all your comments. Very helpful. I feel less scared about 64 now.

I was pondering why no other tight 5 bothered me when I played rugby, (although there was one Welsh Valleys team that I'm glad I only met once), but stuff like this 32/64 caused brain damage. No answer to that.

I will go for 7/64 and 8gig of Ram. I now need to research the best video card to use!

[Mike-Bracknell]

"will it work" all depends on what you want to run on it. Some software people still run came out of the ark (i.e. 1990s) and wasn't designed properly for Windows, let alone Windows 7 (but of course it's all Microsoft's fault that the original widget designers didn't follow their design framework and went and stuck workarounds in which failed on 7).

Windows 7, 32 or 64-bit, will run comfortably in 2Gb of RAM, and the 4Gb ceiling in 32bit is not likely to be hit noticeably by the average punter.

I'd expect Windows 8 to be 64-bit only, after all the widget manufacturers have got their 64bit versions of software working under Windows 7.

All that said, if you don't want to do anything extensive, then 4Gb RAM and a 32bit Windows 7 will do nicely. There's no such thing as futureproofing yourself in computing (as otherwise the manufacturers would go out of business!), so it's unwise to spend extra on stuff you don't need, as that cash should go on the next machine when you need it. Also, sticking to 32bit would give your legacy apps that little bit extra that they may need to work.