64bit vs. 32bit

I imagine this question has been asked before, but I couldn't find it with search.

I have a new Sager NP8690 coming, sans OS, and can get either version.

Why are you all using/not using 64bit? Are there significant benefits to it over 32 (other than being able to have more RAM)? How is the situation with software being supported or not?

Thanks...

 

Hello. There are several advantages that 64-Bit Operative Systems have over their 32-Bit counter-parts, I will name a few in my post:

One of the key advantages as you may already know is the ability to use more RAM, concerning this, 64-Bit allows for the addressing of more RAM, which can improve (it can make a huge difference sometimes) on heavy-duty applications such as Video Encoding and Decoding, Rendering, Virtualization, among other uses.

Another advantage is that in some cases, Malware may find itself in a tough-spot in 64-Bit enviroments, being unable to allocate memory as it should, also, being unable to do some more serious damage to the system as there are two System Folders to choose from. (Which may not stop a properly-coded Malware, but 64-Bit is just another layer of protection.)

With some 64-Bit Operative Systems (using Vista / Windows 7 as an example on this segment) you will have no problems running 32-Bit applications as if they were running on a native 32-Bit enviroment.

Most processors nowadays take advantage of 64-Bit processing, not using that for your own benefit may prove detrimental.

However, some people still use 32-Bit Operative Systems because they are not ready to move on to 64-Bit Operative Systems because of many reasons, such as applications that simply would not work on a 64-Bit Operative System no matter the layer of compatibility that the Operative System may provide.

Another reason is, if you are not going to spend on more than 3 GB of RAM anytime soon, why pay the premium for the 64-Bit version of your chosen Operative System?, that is a common reason as well.

Some applications do not get 64-Bit support updates as oftenly as they would for 32-Bit versions, which may prove troublesome to some, although the number of recent applications that present this problem are but a small number.

And the last but not the least, some people just do not know about the advantages (and disadvantages) of 64-Bit processing and do have not done the switch yet.

It all narrows down to personal needs and preferences.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4239375&postcount=4

At this point, I'd suggest 64-bit unless you have stuff that won't work with it that can't be easily replaced. Most systems are sold with 64-bit now, and 32-bit is quickly becoming "legacy" stuff.

 

Thanks very much, very thorough.

I should have been a little more specific, that its going to be Windows 7.

The only "intensive" stuff I really do on my computer is game, everything else pretty much normal. I guess the question really is are there any specific programs that have a problem with Windows 7 64? Especially old games, since I like to mix those in with my new ones pretty often (Starcraft, Roller Coaster Tycoon and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds come to mind).

 

Anytime.

I cannot answer your question directly, but I can certainly guide you on what you can do, you will have to investigate about the compatibility of those legacy games as, unlike wine that does become better with age, playing old games on 64-Bit Operative Systems is like taking a shot in the dark, hit and miss.

From the old games that I play, the only one that I have encountered issues with is Half-Life 2, but that was a fault on the support the Source Engine provides for 64-Bit architectures.

I encourage you to investigate about these games individually, and thoroughly if you can, sometimes games react in a different manner and way depending on your computer, along with several other factors.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=461072&highlight=Windows+7+32+bit+vs+64+bit

 

64bit is superior to 32bit!
If you have a 64bit processor and about 3/4 GB RAM or more then you can think about using a 64bit OS.
Else, it won't be that wise to switch, especially because 64bit programs will consume more RAM.

One major problem is that some older hardware won't work any longer on a 64bit OS and also does no 16bit program run any longer.

Especially if you plan to run some really old games in Windows directly, then this won't work. Instead you'll be forced to use an Emulator, dual boot or use a Virtual PC, like the Win XP mode in Win 7 Prof./Ultimate.

 

I agree with the others! 64-bit is far better than 32-bit and has a lot more advantages. I have both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7. 32-bit you can't add more than 4GB of ram which more and more pc's are shipping with like 6 now. The 64-bit structure is future proof and eventually all software will be written for it. If your buying a new computer I'd want to make it as future proof as possible. go with 64-bit, you won't regret it. Best of Luck!

 

Just to follow up on something Aeris said, what is the deal with the dual Program File folders? Should I be choosing one over another when I install programs or are they essentially the same?

 

So XP mode will run the older programs (I'll be getting Pro)?

Also, in a little bit of searching, this seems to have some stuff (incomplete though) for compatibility.

 

Program Files is for 64bit programs to install to. Program Files (x86) is for legacy 32bit programs to install to. It's called WoW64.

 

You don't need to choose anything, the programs will automatically choose where to install.

 

Thanks guys. I typically choose a manual install so I kept getting the choice of where to install.

 

What issues were you having with Half Life 2. I personally prefer 32bit over 64 bit because most of my racing sims run much smoother in Windows 7 32bit.

 

Have you done any benchmarks? Because using your anecdotal evidence as "data" is a bit disingenuous. Things are moving to 64bit because they need to. Please stop advocating that people move to 32bit systems because of your one-off experience... that is counterproductive, and most of the time the wrong thing to do.

 

I never use benchmarks because I prefer to make a judgment on the visual feedback i'm getting from game i.e. is said game running in 60FPS+ and has no stuttering. Also I AM NOT and have NOT advocating anyone move to 32bit, that's their choice. Again it's my personal preference that I prefer 32bit. If my game performance sux running with a 64bit OS why in the hell would I use it?

If my game performance is liquid smooth with ZERO framerate stutter and is achieved with a 32bit OS then that's the one i'm rolling with.

And last time I checked this thread IS about the debate of 64bit vs 32bit. If no one highlighted the benefits of Windows 7 32bit then this thread should be renamed.... re: 64bit vs

 

Well, chances are stutters in a 64-bit system is most likely due to the drivers you're using.

Back to the OP, I didn't see anyone clarify XP mode is for 2D desktop apps only. It will not offer 3D comatibility. But so far haven't had any issues running any XP game in Win 7 64-bit.

 

I think I mentioned that.

I've also thrown every nvidia driver past and present and it's still there. Doesn't exist in W7 32bit with any of the nvidia drivers past and present.

Get back with me if you can get the original Colin McRae PC game to work.

 

You mean this one:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/driving/colinmcraerally/index.html?tag=tabs;summary

 

I've been using 64-bit OS's since late 2006 (XP64 yay) and have been 64-bit exclusive on all of my machines since early 2007.

For racing games I only have Racer:GRiD and it runs perfectly on Win7 x64. I'm kind of surprised actually since I "only" have an 8800GT. 1920x1200 with full effects and it's smooth even with a bunch of cars on the screen. If the game didn't cheat like crazy I'd probably play it more. ; ;

There shouldn't be much driver quirkiness. nVidia for example doesn't even change the version number between 32-bit and 64-bit. Both drivers are "196.21." In theory these drivers should be identical except for how they were compiled.

I don't know about Colin McRae 1, the oldest racing game I fired up in Vista x64 was the old Mcirosoft Rallysport Challenge 1, which ran perfectly. The oldest game I've installed and ran in Win7 x64 was Age of Empires 1, a 1997 game. Ran fine.

 

Yup that's the one. Still awesome all these years.

I know, but using a 64bit video driver causes certain racing sims to have a slight stutter. When i'm in a 32bit environment it's just liquid 60FPS+ smoothness. And really as it's strictly a gaming rig that's all i'm looking to achieve.

 

Seems that is a Windows 9x compatible product considering it was released in 2000, many of which don't work well with XP, let alone Vista or 7. I guess you should be happy to have it run. I have quite a few Win 9x games that just won't run on XP, Vista, or 7. Mainly flight simulators (Jane's stuff mainly), and MechWarrior 2.

That being said, to let a ten year old game decide on which OS to recommend is not a good idea. Maybe ok for your sake, but most other games out there run just fine with 64-bit (probably > 99%). I'm sure there's a way, but I don't have a copy of the game, otherwise I don't mind the challenge to make these things work.

In the end I have an old PC that I use to run Win 9x stuff should I want to.

 

Poking around on Google, I see CMR1 required an unofficial patch just to get it working in XP. Games that can't scale forward acceptably will of course restrict your OS choice.