64bit Vista

Just wondering before I actually purchase my M17, how stable the 64bit OS is. I don't really mean stable, just how functional for the everyday home user.

Who uses it, and have you encountered any problems when it comes to drivers etc?

I seriously am stumped on to get it or not, only thing stopping my order now. I'm going with lowest RAM and hard-drive and will update it later, so wondering wether to get 64 bit to save time and cash when it comes to upgrading - basically futureproofing my system.

Tips and advice please with a healthy discussion would be great

P.s. Is ultimate really worth it over home?

 

32bit is better.
You only use 64bit if you have more than 3 gb of ram.

 

I have been using 64 bit Vista for months now and it has been solid. I would say get the 64 bit version only if your sure you can get every driver needed for your system.
I find 64 bit to be slightly more responsive with certain apps and it is backward compatible with every 32 bit program i have used as well as every program i ever used when i had XP.
I would go for it and then you will at least be future proof as far as memory upgrading is concerned and your processor is certainly capable so why not use it to its full potential.

 

Most things work on 64-bit.

If you have 4GB of Memory, get it- it will be able to use all of it.
If you have 3GB or under, stick with 32-bit.

 

does 1gig ram (graphics card) and 3gig ram equate to 4gig or just 3gig?

 

apparently, it requires addresses for 4 gb.

 

I use it everyday, no complaints, once and a while you might experience a driver hiccup and software issue. But for most the part those are becoming fewer and fewer, and can be often solved easily.

 

It depends if the 1GB is deticated or from shared memory...

If its deticated, it wont count.

If from shared, i belive that the GPU cant use shared RAM that isnt recognised by the OS. So, then it would equal 4GB.

 

According to other thread, every piece of hardware require an address. and memory require more address, because each unit (byte?) require an address to know where to send stuff to.

The memory dedicated by video card still requires address for Windows to send data to (probably control by driver). So this contradict what you said.

For the memory that are shared, that means there is no addition hardware, therefore use less address. But depends how they implement in the driver, the driver may create virtual hardware for the share memory which duplicated the address needed to the share memory. If that's the case, then there is no difference in the amount of addresses needed in both case.

 

Now im just confused, haha *re reads posts*

 

Sorry...

SIMPLIFIED

Do you know if the Graphics Card has deticated Video Memory (VRAM) or if it takes from Shared Memory?

 

Talking about the M17 here so its gonna be the crossfire setup.

God, im even looking at the m15x now haha. I hate shopping for computers..

 

64bit OS is good if you want the extra ram and seems to be just as stable as 32 bit OS. And drivers are fairly up to date and easy to find nowadays for most software that is fairly modern.

 

vista 32 is still more compatible for me. I am using 64 now.

 

It depends on what two GPU's. but in crossfire, i would guess there wont be any VRAM taken from shared.

Therefore, 32-bit would be sufficient.

 

I would not comment on what architecture to choose it should be based on what applications you want to use and whether there is a 64bit version of them already available or not.

I wrote 2 guides for getting a 100% up and running AW system (m15x & m17x) on 64bit Vista. I am using Vista 64bit from even before it went public. Looking at the performance increase over 32bit OSes and responsiveness of the OS I upgraded my m15x within 30mins of receiving it.

Regarding Hardware Memory Mapping, all hardware need a memory address to map them. With 32bit memory length you cannot map more than 4gb of adresses. So if you have 1GB graphics card, you straight away cut 1gb from your available memory. 3gb left which is again used for all other peripherals installed in your machine.

 

Findvikas---I just got my m15x on Tuesday and would like to upgrade to 64 bit. Do you know if your process will work with the 9800m GT video card? I have looked on Nvidias site for drivers and cannot find any.

 

EA doesnt support 64bit :O Well at least the new Red Alert (3) doesnt - booo!

 

But, should I buy a new Alienware with Vista 64, the notebook will come fully configured?
Or I'm going to need drivers and so on?

Any problem in gaming?
I can't really figure out.

 

vista32 has less problem with gaming and drivers.
vista64 can use all the memory.