32bit/64bit

elbrop

Need some advice

I’m in the planning stages of getting a new computer I’ve been trying to read up on what all the numbers and acronyms mean, to better understand my purchasing choices.

When it comes to 32bit and 64bit operating systems I’m at a bit of a loss. I (kind of) know what the differences and potential benefits of 64bit systems over 32bit, however I have a few concerns. A lot of the articles I read online mention problems with drivers and software not running properly using 64bit, but on the other hand those articles tend to be several years old so I’m not sure if that’s just teething troubles that have since been sorted out.

How reliable would a 64bit operating system be with software and hardware nowadays (games, free ware like VLC viewer and so on)?

MunsterCycling

Which 64Bit OS are you interested in, there are many...

MC

BKtje

Using vista 64bit, no problems with drivers or any games. Don't use vlc.

The reason you can't find any newer articles with problems with drivers is that there really aren't many problems these days. If you have some very old hardware you want to hook your machine up to then maybe there could be a problem but anything made in the last few years has 64bit drivers.

elbrop

Super cheers for the info

It will be some flavour of windows, I'm clueless about anything else. What version depends on price.

godtabh

B-K-DzR wrote: »

Using vista 64bit, no problems with drivers or any games. Don't use vlc.

The reason you can't find any newer articles with problems with drivers is that there really aren't many problems these days. If you have some very old hardware you want to hook your machine up to then maybe there could be a problem but anything made in the last few years has 64bit drivers.

If I bought a game in the shop tomorrow would it run in Vista 64bit or do you need to buy 64 bit games?

Spear

kearnsr wrote: »

If I bought a game in the shop tomorrow would it run in Vista 64bit or do you need to buy 64 bit games?

It'll work. Though there are an increasing amount if games that come with 64bit executables, but no-one notices, Crysis for example and all the Source games.

godtabh

I was just wondering. Its been a while since I took an interest in the pc world and I've a decent enough system for the first time in ages and trying to figure out is it worth upgrading

Spear

kearnsr wrote: »

I was just wondering. Its been a while since I took an interest in the pc world and I've a decent enough system for the first time in ages and trying to figure out is it worth upgrading

Depends on the game you've got in mind.

godtabh

Spear wrote: »

Depends on the game you've got in mind.

not just games but in general.

Think I'm gona give Crysis a go that looks sweet

Spear

kearnsr wrote: »

not just games but in general.

Think I'm gona give Crysis a go that looks sweet

It's also the most demanding game around right now.

AlmightyCushion

kearnsr wrote: »

I was just wondering. Its been a while since I took an interest in the pc world and I've a decent enough system for the first time in ages and trying to figure out is it worth upgrading

If you have 4GBs or more of ram then vista 64bit is the way to go.

godtabh

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

If you have 4GBs or more of ram then vista 64bit is the way to go.

Thats what I've been reading

rasmasyean

Windows Vista 64-bit links and factoids

32-bit vs. 64-bit Vista comparison table…
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/06/04/differences-and-advantages-between-32-bit-x86-vs-64-bit-x64-windows-vista/

32-bit means it can only “see” 2^32 (2 to the 32nd power) = 4GB memory spaces.
The computer has to be able to see the RAM + VRAM + other devices on Motherboard, etc.
e.g. If you have 1GB VRAM and “other devices” takes up 0.3GB, you will only be able to use a max of 2.7GB (4 - 1 - 0.3 = 2.7) .
In this case, if you install 3GB, you waste 0.3GB…if you install 4GB you waste 1.3GB!

This one's a bit technical, but it describes some of the nitty-gritty of 64-bit technology.
http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2007/10/16/64-bit_more_than_just_the_ram/1

If this is any indication that 64-bit is the wave of the future and 32-bit will be “obsolete”…

There appears to be a shift taking place in the PC industry: the move from 32-bit to 64-bit PCs.
We've been tracking the change by looking at the percentage of 64-bit PCs connecting to Windows Update, and have seen a dramatic increase in recent months. The installed base of 64-bit Windows Vista PCs, as a percentage of all Windows Vista systems, has more than tripled in the U.S. in the last three months, while worldwide adoption has more than doubled during the same period. Another view shows that 20% of new Windows Vista PCs in the U.S. connecting to Windows Update in June were 64-bit PCs, up from just 3% in March. Put more simply, usage of 64-bit Windows Vista is growing much more rapidly than 32-bit. Based on current trends, this growth will accelerate as the retail channel shifts to supplying a rapidly increasing assortment of 64-bit desktops and laptops… PC Accelerators built into Windows Vista, such as Windows SuperFetch, improve performance by keeping commonly used programs in memory, even when the program is closed. More memory capacity on 64-bit PCs allows SuperFetch to do its job more efficiently.
http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2008/07/30/windows-vista-64-bit-today.aspx

Understanding how SuperFetch uses RAM to enhance system performance…
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=735

Windows Vista - SuperFetch & ReadyBoost
http://blogs.technet.com/askperf/archive/2007/03/29/windows-vista-superfetch-readyboost.aspx

Considering this, SuperFetch is probably the most significant feature that distinguishes Vista from all other OS's for users of all walks. Many other features won't be noticeable or even used by the common person (that is until commercial developers start using WPF/WFC etc., and even more DX10). So why not take advantage of it since RAM is so cheap?

This is a huge 32 vs. 64 thread I participated in once in the CNET community if you want to go through it. There's many links and insights and heated arguments there.
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-10149_102-0.html?forumID=7&threadID=298600&start=0&tag=forum-w;forums06

Some interesting hardcore 64-bit info:
...all 64-bit versions of Microsoft operating systems currently impose a 16 TB limit on address space and allow no more than 128 GB of physical memory due to the impracticality of having 16 TB of RAM. Processes created on Windows Vista x64 Edition are allotted 8 TB in virtual memory for user processes and 8 TB for kernel processes to create a virtual memory of 16 TB.
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5709

Some info on a popular title in 64-bit…

Adobe Photoshop® Extended and Acrobat® Pro natively support 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. Adobe Premiere® Pro, After Effects®, Soundbooth®, Encore®, and Adobe OnLocation™ are certified on 64-bit Windows Vista.
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/mastercollection/systemreqs/

Adobe CS4 is 64-bit only on Vista. OSX have to wait for CS5 or something like that when they catch up.
http://www.betanews.com/article/Adobe_CS4_will_be_64bit_but_only_on_Windows/1207258861

To put things in perspective, this is what 64-bit does...

What are the advantages of 64-bit computing?
In early testing of 64-bit support in Photoshop for Windows®, overall performance gains ranged from 8% to 12%. Those who work with extremely large files may realize noticeably greater gains in performance, in some cases as dramatic as ten times the previous speed. This is because 64-bit applications can address larger amounts of memory and thus result in less file swapping — one of the biggest factors that can affect data processing speed.
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/faq/?promoid=DRHXB

Cuddlesworth

I topped 95% memory usage on Vista 64bit with 8 gigs today.Its worth it in my book.

rasmasyean

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I topped 95% memory usage on Vista 64bit with 8 gigs today.Its worth it in my book.

SuperFetch Cache? Or User? What were you doin? :P

godtabh

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I topped 95% memory usage on Vista 64bit with 8 gigs today.Its worth it in my book.

What were you doing?

Thats alot of porn to be watching at one time

rasmasyean

kearnsr wrote: »

What were you doing?

Thats alot of porn to be watching at one time

That's some super HD porn!!! :eek: