32/64 Vista in AW....

what do you have?
pros/cons from one over the other.
installed OS with purchase or update?

reason: i ask this cause i thought i saw posted that the AW systems are not optimized or able to handle the 64...not sure if this is true, but i remember it being discussed or stated in a post...

thx all...

 

There are hundreds of threads on NBR regarding 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.

 

you can install 64 bit vista on the m15x just fine. the only con to 64bit is that some of AW's drivers dont work in 64 bit. i think command center doesnt work too.

 

@bog:
not what i asked, but thx...
i have been looking while this was posted.
i am curious as to what AW owners have though....that is why i posted in here...

 

oh yeah...thx exiled....
is there a fix in the works that you know of?

 

Have 32bit Vista on my m17x and Vista 64 on my desktop. V64 actually runs really smooth on my desktop, the only reason I got it was so it could recognize the 8gb of ram. I am surprised at how well V64 runs though. Very impressed with it so far.

 

not that i know of. you can try pming Alienware James or Alienware Armando and see if they know anything. they can provide you a more solid anwser than any of us can.

 

have you noticed any major issues since sp1? (is that right?)

 

thx will do.

does there seem to be a benefit to having a 64OS on a latptop vice a desktop?

 

None at all at the moment. I have driver support for everything that I need, and excellent stability. I normally go weeks without rebooting.

 

no options for linux distros? or dual boots? or triple boots?

 

If you can live without that Command Center then install x64 as it's the right OS for a x64 compatible laptop (+ you can use more RAM).

 

is the AW set up to use more RAM? does the mobo allow this or limit it? not sure if i am asking the right question then.

 

32 bit os will limit you to 3.2 gigs of ram only. 64 bit will give you full use of the 4 gigs of ram. basically it isnt the mobo limiting it. its the os.

 

That's not strictly true. The OS (normally) maps the top gig of each process onto the kernel to allow data sharing and system calls, etc. That means that each process can only access 3GB but between all the programs on the PC you should still be able to use 4GB. The reason you only see 3.2GB is that devices such as your graphics card, bits of the BIOS, etc have to be mapped on top of the memory space. As 32bit can only handle 4gb max, it has to overlap some of the RAM and so you loose some. So it isn't the OS that is limiting it, it's a hardware issue. I imagine you can still get the same problem with 64bit machines if some of the hardware is old and cannot deal with being mapped above 4gb.