Installing Windows 7 on Mac Mini 64 Bit

[dannykdannyk]

Greetings,

I've just purchased a mac mini server which has snow leopard server OS and 64 bit CPU.

I've been told that I should wipe out the snow leopard server OS and replace with Snow Leopard regular OS (no big deal, the upgrade is inexpensive) as the server version doesn't have Bootcamp for the dual boot.

My question to the forum and smart people out there... is whether I should purchase windows 7 32 bit version or 64 bit version?? The sales guy sold me the 32 bit version but now that I've realized that the mac mini has a 64 bit cpu... I'm thinking something isn't right.

Can anyone shed light on which is best? I plan to use Windows 7 for video editing, so I'll need all the horse power the box can produce.

Many thanks and happy Sunday

 

[catilley1092]

If your computer is a 64 bit, then a 64 bit will work. You may already know this, but a 32 bit system only uses about 3GB RAM, no matter how much you have installed. If you want horsepower as you say, 64 bit will deliver. For horsepower, you need at least 4GB RAM on a 64 bit PC. From what you are saying, you may need more. But you will not get what you want on a 32 bit system that uses only 3GB RAM. I hope that you understand what I'm trying to tell you. It would be my guess that the salesperson is trying to unload a product that he has tons of, as most new computers (laptops & PC's) are 64 bit. There are a few exceptions, some cheap netbooks, cheap laptops and cheap PC's as well as overstock left over from last year. 32 bit systems are going the way of the dinosaurs in the not too distant future. The next release of Windows most likely will not offer a 32 bit version, that will be three years away. I'm curious if the Windows 7 upgrade advisor will run on a Mac. Have you tried to use that tool? I've never been a Mac user, so I don't know what programs will run on it. But if you have a 64 bit server with at least 4GB RAM, go with 64 bit Windows 7. But there is one important thing you must know, and it's not a problem for most of us, as 64 bit will run most 32 bit programs with no trouble. At the current time, there are a lack of some 64 bit programs to work with. However, it's not a problem for most of us. But to make double sure if your system will run it, call Microsoft sales. And if you can run it, go with at least Pro, that will give you a few more advanced options, and if money is not a factor at all, go Ultimate for the best in security. Pro is $299 and Ultimate is $319. You can go to the Windows 7 site at Microsoft, there's a "help me choose" page. And by the way, Welcome to the forums and I hope that this helps you in some way. I'm not a pro by any means, but I do read a lot of tech articles. Good luck and Merry Christmas to you!