any recommendations to my vostro 3700 order before i submit?

looking to order this one.

i5 560M (2.66GHz,Turbo Boost 3.2Ghz, Dual Core, 4T, 3MB L3)
W7 professional 64bit
17.3” High Definition+ (1600x900) Wide LED Anti-Glare
4GB RAM
500GB HD 7200rpm
8X DVD+/-RW Drive
Vostro 3700 Nvidia® Geforce™ GT 330M, 1GB Graphics
3 Yrs Next Business Day Onsite Service
6 cell batt, bluetooth, webcam, finger print reader, backlit keyboard, wireless, etc
price in US$1162

my first concern was vostro's speakers, but after trying out the 3300's at a shop, i guess i can live with it n 3700 is 2 speakers, whereas 3300 is just one.

another is i just read somewhere that its only worth it to go for 64bit if ur on 6-8GB RAM, where if ur just 4GB, its not as good cos 64bit uses more RAM. should i just go 32bit n have only 3GB RAM detected by the system?

 

The 32 bit Windows can address more than 3GB but less than 4GB. If you use any older programs or drivers that are not 64 bit compatible then you need to install and run XP mode which uses about the same space as the extra RAM you can address. Staying with 32 bit is the least hassle route.

John

 

Ummm... no?

64 bit Windows can run every 32 bit Windows application without 'XP mode' or anything of the sort. XP mode is designed for applications that wouldn't work with Vista or Windows 7 (on 32bit or 64bit) - mainly legacy stuff. Please think about what you said logically - XP mode isn't available on Home Premium or similar, so, if it was required to run 32bit applications, your 64bit Windows 7 Home Premium users would be unable to run 95% of the worlds applications. It's just not the case. 32-bit apps run absolutely fine on 64bit Windows (Vista and 7). Legacy applications that have problems with the 32bit versions of Vista and 7 (never mind x64) can be used through XP Mode on Pro & Ultimate editions.

To the OP, it's a bit of a myth that 64bit "uses more RAM". 64bit allows you to access more memory, and calculations use 64bits rather than 32bits - so they'll take a fraction longer to process (read Tweets: EventSentry v2.90 – MinWin explained – Windows 7 news – Windows 3.1 retired - 4sysops. In reality, there is no performance difference.

I have a Vostro 3700 and I loaded 64bit Windows on it - personally I think it's better to be future proof (I can swap out my 4GB of RAM with 6/8GB in the future and take advantage of that without re-installing Windows) and I also use some applications with 64-bit versions for improved performance. Drivers from dell aren't a problem and everything worked fine.

From someone using a Vostro 3700 and 64bit Windows 7, I can say, it'll be an absolutely fine decision

Also, in terms of the speakers, they are OK - I tend to have to keep them at 90-95% of max volume though to avoid distortions etc...

 

I didn't say that 32 bit programs won't run under 64 bit Windows. I just said that there are some older programs that there are 64 bit compatible. These are either 16 bit or may be 32 bit but use an old 16 bit installer. In my humble opinion, having been there, 64 bit isn't worth the possible hassle when coupled with 4GB or less RAM.

John

 

thnx guys. appreciate the advice