Help in choosing a new pc

Hi there, for several weeks now I have been checking out the various pc's on the market, and I am totally confused. My current pc is 7 years old, only has 540 mb of ram, and I would like something better. I mainly use my pc for writing emails, playing music, I never download music, but I do like to play scrabble. I would like the new pc to have Windows 7 but I am not sure what 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Windows 7 means. Most pc's that I have looked at has the 64 bit version installed, but a friend has told me that I only need the 32 bit version, which is where all you good folk come in. I would be looking to get a desktop pc. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi Chistina - Welcome to w7forums

Your friend may have been looking at the fact that you have been happy with a 7 year old computer. You don't seem to need anything that requires allot of computer power. If you have been happy with the computer you have, anything that you find Windows 7 on will be very pleasing.

One thought though, Stay away from Windows 7 Basic and Windows 7 Starter. You don't want anything less than Windows 7 Home Premium.

The hardware in the computer world has been 64-Bit for some time now. The 64-Bit operating system is now using the hardware to it full potential.

Lets say that the 64-Bit computer is comparable to a two lane highway. A 32-Bit operating system is only as wide as one lane even though the hardware will support using two lanes. A 64-Bit operating system is as wide as both lanes and can full use of the highway.

Christina222 - Welcome to the Windows 7 Forums website!

The following is what Microsoft recommends for running Windows 7, I would HIGHLY recommend that you download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor for a thorough look at your computer. Plus you'll need to add at least another 512MB of RAM to meet minimum requirements.

Windows 7: System Requirements

Before you begin

Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor for a more detailed understanding of whether your PC can run Windows 7.
Download now


If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Additional requirements to use certain features:

• Internet access (fees may apply)
• Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware
• For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required
• Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
• HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7
• DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive
• BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2
• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive
• Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on
• Music and sound require audio output

Product functionality and graphics may vary based on your system configuration. Some features may require advanced or additional hardware.

Nibiru2012 they are looking to buy a new computer. The upgrade advisor is of no use to them.

Thank you so much for the welcome Clifford and for your advice. I did have Windows 7 Premium in mind so your advice on that has helped me. Your description of 64bit v 32 bit was brilliant, I understood that, maybe I am a better driver than a pc user lol. Thanks again.

Thank you Nibiru for your advice. I did actually download the windows 7 advisor before I posted my opening message. The report wasn't very favourable which makes me want a new pc all the more. I will take a copy of your reply along with me when I go to purchase the computer, or maybe learn it off by heart and impress the salesman lol. Thanks again.

Do you live anywhere near a Fry's electronics?

They have some great buys during the Holiday season.

Do you need a new monitor also, or will the one you have work for your needs?

If you have any questions at all about a purchase. Please remember the salesman may tell anything to make the sales. We have nothing to gain or loss when answering your questions. So before you make a final decision, ask us your questions for a honest answer. There is dozens of good people that know what they are talking about and login daily.

Check this out from Newegg.com:

Acer Aspire AX1301-U9052 Athlon II X2 215(2.7GHz) 4GB DDR2 750GB NVIDIA GeForce G210 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - Retail $429.99

Go HERE to view photos, specs, etc.

That Power Supply is only 220W which in the reviews are giving customers problems. Please don't recommend a PC that has bad reviews.

Personally I would not look at a system with less than 300W. My last computer that was only a single core Celeron was in a case with 300W power supply. It has been ten years since I have had a computer with less than 250W.