64bit vs 32bit OS

Teutorix

Is there any advantage to using a 64 bit OS other than the increased memory cap? If i changed form XP to XP 64 would my computer run any better?

Im on an Athlon64 3200 btw

7.Ronaldo

It's unlikely. Moving to 64-bit would allow you to increase your memory capacity which would improve performance.

Teutorix

7.Ronaldo wrote: »

It's unlikely. Moving to 64-bit would allow you to increase your memory capacity which would improve performance.

I have no intention of buying more ram, so it would make no difference then.

barrackali

no real benefit if you don't get the memory tbh, i have 12gb and certainly notice the speed.

Teutorix

barrackali wrote: »

no real benefit if you don't get the memory tbh, i have 12gb and certainly notice the speed.

Having 12 GB of memroy dosent make your PC faster unless you are actually using that much RAM, are you running multiple instances of Crysis or something XD

brianwalshcork

If the 4 gb that's supported under a 32 bit os doesn't help then increasing that to 8, 12 or whatever gb, won't do much for general performance. Really only worth it if you have apps that benifit from large amounts of memory.

Brian

barrackali

I run photoshop and many other ram intensive programmes at the same time.

Gadgetman496

I initially ran Windows 7 32bit & moved to 64bit. I had no reason for moving other than I wanted to try it out, I've found Win 7 64 runs noticeable smother than the 32bit version. I'm talking about general use now & nothing to do with excessive RAM, I only have 4GB anyway.

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CreepingDeath

Teutorix wrote: »

Is there any advantage to using a 64 bit OS

One disadvantage is that there may be less driver support.
Eg. if you've an old printer. Some older games need a bit of patching to get them to work on a 64-bit machine.

So you might want to make a list of your favourite software and do a quick search to see if anyone has issues running them in 64-bit mode.

Teutorix

Hmm, i dont think i even need a list, i play a ton of old PC games, i think ill stick with 32 bit until I decide to upgrade, thanks.

Overheal

64 bit along with handling more ram also processes much larger chunks of data. Whereas a 32-bit processor/os would need to break down those same chunks of data and process them as seperate ticks.

Simply, its a lot more efficient, especially if you are handling large chunks of data, long integers or floating points, and the like. And programs love floating points, do they ever. These include photoshops, video edits, etc. and video games have already been using graphics cards that process at 128-bit or higher for a number of years now: you need it in order to process those huge textures and swaths of polygons. a GTX 260 as i understand it, for instance, uses a 192 core graphics processor and a 512-bit pipeline, in contrast to a 32-bit pipe.

If you still use your computer to write word .doc's and read email, sure, stick with 32-bit. Either way theres very few lingering compatibility issues between 32 and 64 bit. Windows already manages easily between your 64-bit programs and your 32-bit (x86) programs. I've not encountered any issues playing any 32-bit games.

PMI

Programs will only utilise a certain amount of ram anyway no matter whats installed found out the hard way