m1330 - vista 32bit or 64bit?

this is my first post here, but i have read many threads before joining...

anyway, i am going to buy a m1330 and get it with 4GB of ram. i have heard that vista 32 won't fully utilise the 4GB. So, should i get the 64bit vista? what implications would it have for me?

i'm currently waiting for operating hours to start on dell.com online chat so that i can ask a rep there. but to be honest i have more faith in the info given to me here by actual users, rather than an outsourced indian rep.

though i live in japan, and have found that if i log on to chat at 6am local time (in yokohama) i have ALWAYS been able to speak to a Round Rock Texas rep, any other time has been india based (and they ALWAYS try to push a sale, the texas reps dont try to push the sale).

Anyway, getting a bit off point. What are people's opinions of 32bit v 64 bit?

I wont be doing any kind of heavy-duty processing, like rendering or CAD work. Just mainly word processing, research and (some) gaming.

So, for memory addressing purposes and considering what my laptop will be doing, is it worth getting the 64bit version?

Do Dell offer the 64 bit on laptops?

The spec of the system i am looking at is as follows:

XPS M1330 (PRODUCT) RED CORE 2 DUO T9500 2.60GHz,800,6M
13.3" WXGA (1280x800) White-LED Display with TrueLife (thinner, brighter & lighter)
Fingerprint Reader Biometric for XPS M1330 (PRODUCT) RED
Crimson Red XPS M1330 (PRODUCT) RED & 0.3mp camera for White-LED Display
Memory Dual Channel 4.0GB (2x2048) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Lexar 4GB JumpDrive FireFly Memory Key (White)
Hard Drive 200GB Free Fall Sensor (7200RPM)
8xDVD+/-RW Slim Slot-Load Drive, including SW
AC Adapter 90W - 3 Pin
Kensington - 120W - 3 Wire - Auto/Air - DC Adapter
Primary 9-cell 85WHr Li-Ion Battery
Optional 9-cell 85WHr Li-Ion Battery
Carry Case Leather Black (H:40xW:32 xD12) 1,78 kg Fits up to 14.1'' Screens
128 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
For Vista only: Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED HD Audio
TV Tuner- AVerMedia AVerTV Hybrid NanoExpress DVB-T
Modem Not Included
Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-PCI Card EUR
European - Dell TrueMobile 355 internal Bluetooth Module
Dell Black 5-Button Bluetooth Travel Mouse
Uk/Irish Internal Lightweight Keyboard (QWERTY)
Software Drivers XPS M1330
English - Vista Ultimate (32Bit OS) - (PRODUCT RED)
English Microsoft Office 2007 Home + Student
English - Adobe Reader 8.1 1
English Documentation XPS M1330
Resource DVD XPS M1330 - (Diagnostics & Drivers)
English/Irish Ship Accessories - Power Cord & 90W AC
Dell Support Center 2.0
English McAfee Security Centre 9.0 - 30 Day Trial Version
4 Year Consumer XPS Premium Hardware Support
Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and
On-Site Support)
4 Year Consumer Accidental Damage Support - Theme Package
** Accidental Damage Module (4 Year)
** Complete Care Accidental Damage (4 Year)
** Keep your Harddrive (4 Year)
** Vista introduction Online Training (30 Days)


All opinions/information/comments are welcomed.

 

Hate to kind of be off topic with you Fuji but your usage requirements dont warrant 4Gb of RAM. You'd be fine with 2... Either way though i would strongly recommend not buying the 4gb ram with the Dell. Buying the RAM after-market is cheaper by orders of magnitude. NewEgg.com has plenty of different 2x2gb laptop so-dimm ram. (this would preclude the whole question of the 64 bit OS)

Getting to your question though, yes dell will provide the 64bit OS, but you kinda need to insist on it. As for getting the 64 bit at all, with what you will likely be using it for there is neither any major advantages or disadvantages beyond the 700mb of ram you would gain. 64 bit drivers are pretty stable and decent these days but still not quite as solid as the ones for 32 bit.

If you end up getting this laptop i'll have a couple questions for you once you receive it, as ive been looking into it myself some. If that doesn't bother you

 

It sounds like what you have planned to use it for, it'd be a waste to get 4gb of ram. 2gb of ram is sufficient in vista unless you do TONS of things at once, which is hard to do on a laptop anyway because of the small screen. That processor is a screamer, as well - don't be surprised if it gets really hot.

Anyway, since you seem to be going all out, if you get 4gb of tam, it'd probably be a good idea to get a 64-bit OS. The only downsides I know of are some hardware compatability bugs, but that shouldn't be a problem since Dell will have it preinstalled.

 

Why limit yourself to 2 GB? Maybe your needs will change? I would advise to get the 4 GB, but to buy it from NewEgg (or the equivalent in Japan, if that's where you are), since Dell overcharges for RAM. Vista is a HOG and even if you're only doing word processing, it can't hurt to have 4 GB when it's $60 for the set of 2 sticks of 2 GB.

Though Vista x86 (32-bit) will only see 3.5 GB, that's still plenty, and probably doesn't justify running x64 just to get that last .5 GB, since x64 anyways always runs WOW64, or what amounts to a 32-bit Windows virtual machine, so that takes up the .5 GB you gain, and then some.

If I am not mistaken, you are licensed to install the same edition of Vista X64 as the one Dell shipped your Vista X86 with (Home Basic x86 --> Home Basic x64, Ultimate X86 ---> Ultimate x64, et al.)

You do have to get a hold of the x64 media, but your X86 CD Key that comes with the notebook will work with the X64 CD/DVD, so you do not need to pay for the license, only, if necessary, for the physical media and shipping, which should cost < $20.

 

does 64 bit have any disadvantage when it comes to using Office or running games such as Football Manager?

should these apps run as normal, or do i need to buy a special 64bit version of each app i use?

on the topic of the RAM > whats the best make? corsair? kingston?

 

64-Bit will not run any old 16-bit games (unless you use Dos-Box, a 32-bit VM that will). I think it's mostly the same, though you'll find that most apps do not have a 64-bit version and you will end up running the 32-bit version, which will be hanfled by WOW64.

WOW64 is limited to 2 GB, if I recall correctly, but that's plenty for Word, Excel, etc. which only come in 32-bit versions.

HALO works quite nicely in Vista X64, though I couldn't tell you about any other game.

Both brands of memory are fine, though Cosair is supposed to be high-performance; Crucial is the gold standard.