Windows 7: 64 bit vs 32 bit? - Discussion

Please leave any feedback about the Windows 7: 64 bit vs 32 bit? article in this thread.

Just as a sidenote, the easiest way to find out if you have a 64 bit capable system is to use the freeware CPUZ software:

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

You can bypass the rejection of unsigned drivers by issuing the following command at an administrator-elevated command prompt:

bcdedit -set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS

Alternatively, NGOHQ has made a convenient tool that will do the heavy lifting for you.

Cheers.

When we moved from 16-bit to 32-bit the issues were the same. My favorite word processor, XyWrite, not only would no longer run but they went out of business. Nevertheless, there a precious few 16-bit systems out there today.

So, for me, the question wasn't whether I would switch to 64-bit or not but rather was when I would switch. I considered switching to Vista x64 and decided not to. The killer at that time was that I read that Office 2003 would not run under the original Vista x64. There were, reportedly, significant driver issues.

When I downloaded Windows7 beta I downloaded both the 32-bit and the 64-bit. I installed the 32-bit, used it, and was quite impressed. I recently installed the 64-bit. I had no more problems with drivers in 64-bit than I did in 32-bit. All of my hardware worked fine. All but one of the applications I use worked fine. Two have 64-bit versions. Some of the utility programs for my chipset and such don't work but they aren't essential and I suspect that by the time Windows7 is actually on the market, the programs will have been rewritten.

The decision was also affected by the price of RAM. Three years ago I couldn't have afforded 4Gb of RAM anyway. Last week, I ordered an additional 4Gb for my motherboard at a cost of around $60.

When will software developers switch? Soon, I think. If I made a relatively high-priced photo editing or video editing program it would be in 64-bit now. How many people using these programs are sticking with 32-bit? Not many, I suspect.

So, for me, the time is now. For some, the time was two years ago. For some, it will be in the future.

Thanks for the heads up Thrax That should smooth the transition of users from 32>64 bit quite a bit. I've only got old 32 bit drivers for my old Umax scanner, so I'm going to see if I can get them working as 64 bit tonight.

Could you notice any improvements in the speed of Windows between the 32 bit and 64 bit versions? I am not sure which one I am going to go for, but I think 32 bit because that way I know everything I have will work (and I don't have more than 4GB ram).

A. I can't say 64-bit was noticeably faster than 32-bit except in programs optimized for 64-bit. Part of the problem is I haven't been running the 64-bit for long and the speed keeps improving. For example, my boot process has gone from 75 seconds initially to 45-50 seconds now.

B. Now is a great time to play, though, because you can try 32-bit vs. 64-bit of the same OS for free. One of the reasons I hadn't tried it in the last year or so was because I didn't have a 64-bit Vista and wasn't about to buy one just to see if I liked it.

I'm moving my main machine to 4GB next week, so I look forward to seeing how it performs

Lucky! . If only I had money LOL...

Windows 7 will be the last MS OS to have the choice of 32X or 64X .
Guess times move on and now we can get two gig sticks of memory too