Upgrade to 64 BIT

I get laptop in exactly 6 days time. It will be coming in with 1 GB RAM.

I am certainly going to upgrade the RAM. Now I have tree options 2 GB, 3 GB and 4 GB. I am more inclined towards the 3 and 4 GB option as it allows me for easy upgrade in the future(I have got to get a 2 GB Stick and also want to make it a dual channel configuration).

So to get those 4GBs out of the RAM I will have to get a 64BIT Vista version.

Here come my questions

1. Does such huge amounts of RAM have any problems like overheating?
2. How compatible is the 64 BIT Vista with the various softwares out there? Are there any issues?
3. How do I go about the upgrade from 32 BIT to 64 BIT? Will it require formatting?

Appreciate your replies.

 

1 no
2 very decent most apps i have works fine in x64 but some are unstable u have nothing t worry about
3 y and a x64 dvd

 

Firstly thanks for the answer.

I am a bit apprehensive about this point of yours. You mentioned some applications being unstable. Could you please elaborate this point? Looking at the above comment I would also like to add that it could be better to go the 3 GB way. It would be a win win situation(Cost, Compatibilty etc.)!

 

You shouldn't have to worry. Everything here is working flawlessly

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=201726

All you have to loose is $9

 

I personally had very few issues with x64 that I didn't already have with x86 Vista. Of course, I do not use the OS anymore...

But the biggest problem is drivers. I had TV tuners not work, some older programs not work, printers not work, oh...and my Foxit PDF Creator did not work.

Before you make the choice to go 64bit, look into the hardware and software you have. See if it is compatible with 64bit.

 

Thanks a lot guys. I think I would stick to 32 BIT. It looks as the better option both technically as well as economically. Thanks you all once again.

 

well for example. i have speedupmypc3 it searches for all garbage files and puts them in the recycle bin. in x86 it does it fine but in x64 it takes about four times longer and uses about (not lying) 700 mb of ram instead of 20mb. but i just use ccleaner instead. and another program is vistasmoker it does not work. but i use alot of programs and they all work fine including games. except those two. im saying theres no need to worry because its very compatable ( not like the xbox 360 and xbox games lol) and there's always other programs that do the same it yours dont work

 

Does 64bit run any programs that 32bit can't run?

 

yes a 64 BIT PROGRAM CANT RUN ON a 32 bit os

 

Is there any performance increase with 64bit vs 32bit operating systems? I'm thinking of upgrading windows xp to 64bit.

 

Same here. I'm using 4 GB ram and I am seriously considering going the 64bit way. My laptop is already dual booted with linux\vista 32. And I want to get that extra performance. Whats crazy is that Ubuntu only takes up about 150MB ram. Thats sick

 

Unless you have 3-4 gigs of ram your not going to notice a great leap in performance. That's the consensus anyway.

I could upgrade anytime, however, with my current setup 32 bit is still the smarter option.

 

as of right now my x64 vista has no performance gain cause i have 2gb of ram but this sat im getting 4gb of gskill ram. ill tell you how it is

 

does one key cover both 32bit and 64bit of the same OS?

 

yes.. aslong as you install the same version (basic,premium,ultimate) the same key will work. The only difference is the architecture (32/64bit) youll need a 64bit vista install disk

 

Not really. Unless you have 4GB of RAM, then with 64bit you gain access to 1more GB of it. Otherwise, everything is pretty much the same.

You can switch back and forth technically, but legally you need to check the OEM license agreement. You can get more info by reading my clean install guide in my sig.

 

It IS sick, the other day I hibernated vista, then booted ubuntu and it was using less than 50% of my ram (don't remember how much exactly)