difference between 64 bit and 32 bit

hey guys, i gotta question...probably a stupid one. whats the difference between 32 bit and 64 bit?? like whats the difference between vista 32bit and 64 bit? is it something that i will really notice? i plan on doing some gaming on my new notebook and i wanna make the right decision.

 

Too long to explain, so I'll have Wikipedia do it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit

Anyways, the jist of it is: We're all going to switch over someday, but not today due to compatibility issues.

 

Just from your post.... go with 32bit

64bit is for people with more computer literacy that actually have a reason to go with 64bit. If you had any of those needs you question would have been more like "is it worth going x64 instead of x86 for these reasons?"

Servers and things have some good reasons, but the average and even above average home user really doesnt. You will just be asking for a handfull of problems you wouldnt have with x86, mostly compatability issues, when you have almost nothing to gain from it.

 

Except for the fact that quite a few people here have reported running into no problems whatsoever, and that several games are starting to run out of memory on 32-bit Vista.

So, a slightly more detailed answer would be this:

It doesn't usually make a difference, but there aren't drivers available yet for all hardware under 64-bit Vista. You won't have any problem with the "core" hardware, but if you have webcams, printers, scanners or other peripherals, you should probably check in advance whether they have drivers available for 64-bit Vista.

And on the other hand, if you plan to run big memory-hungry games, switching to 64-bit may prevent occasional crashes. But (so far) this only occurs in a handful of games, when runnign everything at max settings. (Supreme Commander, with all graphical detail enabled, on the largest map possible with max number of opponents, for example, may crash under 32-bit Vista)

So basically, for most people, most of the time, it won't make a difference either way. But in a few more specific cases, you can run into problems with both.

 

Im one of those no problems whatsoever guys...love this system...just wish I could afford the 180plus Gb of ram 64 bit allows (lol)

 

About 32 bits.

Sorry, couldn't resist. IMHO, 64 bit operating systems don't do much for the average user. 32 bit operating systems dominate the current market, and I don't expect that to change any time soon. I would stick with 32 bits, but that's just me. Buy a version of Vista that has 32 and 64 bit. Try them both and then stick with the one you like best.