Benefits of Vista 64? and other things I need to know...

Ok, picked up an M1530 for my son who is a gamer... what would be the benefits of upgrading to Vista Ultimate 64? (I already have it so would just need to install it...) It has the 8600M GT card...

I've been reading through all of the guides but I'm just wondering what I really need to pay extra close attention to. I don't think that it has media direct (at least I don't see a button for it) Can I install and use the media direct anyway? Or would I have to fully boot the computer anyway without the button? I'd like him to be able to plug this into the TV to watch movies...

What about the partitions? Any suggestions on size, etc? I don't mind leaving the restore partition, just for ease in restoring if anything ever goes wrong and I just want to get it working quickly...

Any suggestions for this 40-something mom would be really appreciated. I'm pretty good with this stuff, just need direction.

Thanks in advance!

 

At this point in time, there is no advantage to 64-bit other than the ability to use 4GB+ RAM. Vista 32-bit will only allow use of 3.5GB. This is not a flaw in Vista, but a limitation of all 32-bit operating systems.

64-bit is the future however, as 4GB becomes more and more the norm. On an m1530 however, it may not be worthwhile since the motherboard only supports 4GB maximum anyway.

That said, there is no disadvantage to 64-bit, 32-bit stuff works fine, and driver support is there, so if you already have it, go for it.

 

I waited a long time to make to the jump to 64 bit. I just ent ot 64 bit on my m1530 2 weeks ago and let me tell you. Even with only 3GB of RAM there is a significant performance increase in just 2d applications and tasks. I do not game but I can say that if you pull up the 64 it m1530 thread and get all of the drivers it is a VERY EASY install and it is WELL WORTH IT to move to 64 bit. Any small problem can be overcome with a quick google. my 2 cents as an IT professional who decided to take the plunge on 64 bit reecently.

vista 64 handles memory much more efficiently as well as being able to access the additional memory over 3.25GB.

 

This is assuming that OP is computer literate and knows how to reinstall an OS, drivers etc. If this is daunting, maybe reconsider. Otherwise, there's nothing to loose and a fair bit to gain!

 

nope

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Address_Extension#Operating_system_support

 

I'll speak purely from experiance.

1) If you have 4Gb of Ram, then you get full use of it.
2) I found it to be so much more stable than the 32bit version
3) My games run smoother, and I get better fps
4) I'm glad I upgraded

If you happy to do a clean install, then I say go for it, you wont regret it.

 

LOL, yes OP is computer literate and can reinstall an OS, drivers, etc. I've done clean installs on several laptops and have not had any problems, everything works. etc. I am a little confused on the best way to partition so any advice there would be great, including on leaving the original restore partition. Maybe someone can lay it out partition by partition for me... I'd appreciate it! I haven't really gone through all the disks that came in the binder; does that include full reinstall or do I need create reinstall disks? There is no personal data to back up as the system was just unboxed yesterday...

Any answers on the media direct capability for a system without the button?

Thanks so much, everyone. I think I will start it this afternoon.

 

well for what ive seen in linux, a 64 bit OS will fully enjoy the power of a 64 bit processor, but a 32 bit OS will force ( or only use) the 32 bit mode of the processor, making the 32 bit version slower and the 64 version faster in overall performance.

just make sure your games, software and drivers are 64 bit compatible and let em rip!

 

Get rid of theat media direct garbage. DOn't look back. YOu have so much more functionality IN windows lol.

GO to 64 bit for sure even if only using 3GB and you will still see great performance increase from 32.

 

I've never had any luck installing an OS fresh on a Dell notebook while also maintaining the recovery partition. I mean, I've left the partition behind, but it's never been bootable again. I assume the process of installing the OS alters the MBR in such a way that the partition is orphaned.

If maintaining an option to return to the original factory configuration is important to you, I'd suggest ponying up for a second hard drive for the fresh install, and sticking the original hard drive in a drawer.

 

Wasn't meaning to sound patronising, you'd be suprised how many people think a reinstall is as simple as reinstalling Windows and that's it! In all honesty you're not going to need that recovery partition. The discs that came with the laptop will reinstall Vista 32 and MediaDirect, and the drivers are obviously on the Dell page. There is a topic here somewhere about how to reinstall MediaDirect, though to be honest I removed the thing as soon as I got my laptop.

I agree that Vista 64 is worth it even without 4GB, I also have it installed on my desktop w/ 2GB, runs great.

 

No offense was taken; I didn't think you were being patronizing at all, only helpful! I started learning about installing operating systems/drivers/etc the hard way, "way back", when my husband accidentally entered "format C" instead of "format A"! That was in the "DOS" days... That was back before the internet so finding drivers was a nightmare... I try to stay fairly current on technology, although some things leave me a little baffled...

Thanks for the advice about the recovery partition; I've deleted it on the clean installs I've done on HP's but had read something on this forum somewhere about leaving it and it intrigued me...

I think my main question about the partitioning would be what is the most logical way to partition my drive? Do I really even NEED a partition? Should my OS be on the main partition (C or on a separate partition?

Thanks again.

 

On my desktop, I created a separate 40GB partition for the OS, just in case I needed to format. The problem with this became apparent however, because every application and game wants to install in /Program Files/ by default, and while most programs are fine with you setting a different install directory, some others really didn't like anything but the default. The issue is made all the worse in Vista when games commonly save user mods and the like in the /User/ directory, which will also be on the same partition as the OS.

In the end, the benefits of creating a separate partition for the OS were simply not there, especially when a full format woudl be required if you somehow get an infection, and most programs would need a complete reinstall anyway because they rely have their own registry settings. So I didn't bother creating a separate Vista partition on here (though I do have a 20GB partition containing XP, since some of my games require it).

Decision is yours of course, though I think when you consider programs will need a reinstall regardless, it may just be simpler to have a single partition.