should i be using 32 bit if i only have 2 gb of ram?

which version of windows 7 should i be using if i only have 2gb of ram?

 

the only contra is, 64bit versions of applications eat up a bit more ram. so if you're constantly low on ram, it might be worthwhile staying on 32bit.

 

QFT, My thoughts, with RAM being so cheap nowadays, I am sure u will upgrade to more than 2 GB soon which will lead u to a new era of performance. I have not had 1 problem with 64 bit as it install any 32 bit program into the x86 program files folder and runs it in 32 bit more.

I think it is very much worth teh try.......

 

I had installed 64-bit Win 7 with 2 GB RAM and it ran fine. But now I upgraded to 4 GB and see a slight performance improvement.

 

I have seen significant performance differences between x86 and x64 versions of both Vista and Win7 on my computers.

 

I say install and use 64-bit. Doing this will save you the trouble of having to reinstall everything if you upgraded your RAM to 4GB or greater.

 

If you have an older machine that is limited to 2gb b/c of the motherboard but processor is fine and win 7 32bit runs well on it, should you even think bout 64 bit?

 

really good point their....yes i went through this myself install 64bit u got nothing to lose.....

 

if you have 3 gigs of ram or less use 32 bit. higher capatibility. while you wont have a problem with 64 bit 90% of the time, the 10% you do always ends up being something important. its extremely aggravating.

 

Unless you have specific application/hardware compatibility issues (most mainstream software doesn't), go with 64-bit if your processor allows.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit#Pros_and_cons

You'll get arguably better security as well, and the memory penalty is fairly negligible.

 

I'm on 64bit (with 4 GB) and all my apps are running great thus far. Even NIS 2009.

 

Please install the 64 bit. That way all the information that your computer records about you and sends off tells them you're 64 bit so we don't have to worry about marginal support in the future. The quicker everyone does it, the quicker it'll get better for us all.

 

The more RAM the better...

 

ive been using multiple 64bit OSs ranging from linux to windows, i find that a 64 bit OS is far better than a 32 bit OS, even if you have 1 gig of RAM

the simple reason being that it can go full throttle on 64 bit CPUs and squeeze it to the last drop.

and also compatibility is no longer a large issue, because almost all companies have released 64bit versions of their software, and if they don't, you can still run them in 32bit mode

 

I forgot where I read it, but there's x86 runs better than x64 until you have 4+ Gb of RAM.
With less than 4Gb, it seems x64 struggle more than x86

 

since Vista was released I ran the 64-bit on 2GB DDR1 RAM. I game on the system (see specs bellow under Custom build). Yes, TODAY it a dated machine, but still goes strong and yes, it plays Crysis at high settings if you wondered.

Just recently I got another GB of RAM.. because DDR1 RAM is extremely expensive as it's not in production anymore. And it actually came form an old system which by chances had the same speed and timings.

Always go with 64-bit OS, no mater what! It's a free overclock on your system of 10-15%, and even your 32-bit applications gets a boost... nothing drastic nor very visible, but it's there, and anything helps.

64-bit OS doesn't struggle more if you are low in RAM. The reason why it uses a little more (<100MB) of RAM is because you have WOW (Windows on Windows). Which is Windows 32-bit system files and libraries ON Windows 64-bit. Even wonder what the folder "sysWOW64" is, and why not called is "system64"... well it's exactly that. That folder contains 32-bit libraries and system files so that 32-bit application don't feel anything and have 0 compatibility problems. It also explains why 64-bit Windows takes more HDD space.. you have like 2 Windows in 1.

And no, it's not true that many companies released their software in 64-bit. All they did is release their software to be officially supported by Vista meaning both edition will work at 100%. Most application that runs under Vista 32-bit runs fine on the 64-bit version. The ones that don't work are old old software for Windows 95/98 or DOS that are in 16-bit. As 16-bit emulation is removed from Windows 64-bit. And this is where XP Mode comes in (Win7 Pro and Ultimate only).
The problem was drivers, and that is solved.