" db" <> wrote in message
news:196990BB-5920-49F2-A888-...
> ok,
>
> I'm about to toss out my
> 32 bit pentium and upgrade
> to dual or quad core.
>
> I'm not interested with
> buy a 64 bit vista this
> late in the game.
>
> so I was wondering if any
> one had some suggestions
> for me.
>
> I know that installing a
> 32 bit program on a
> 64 bit cpu is basically
> wasting 32 bits of cpu
> power.
>
> but if dual cores and
> quad cores use hyper
> threading,
>
> then would vista 32 work
> twice or 4 times as fast
> because the 32 bit o.s.
> will be hyperthreaded?
>
>
>
> --
> db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
> DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
> - Systems Analyst
> - Database Developer
> - Accountancy
> - Veteran of the Armed Forces
> - @hotmail.com
> "share the nirvana" - dbZen
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>
MS has info here:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...033.mspx#EBBAC
64-bit OS would have a performance increase if you have a large amount of
RAM (4GB+) because it manages it more effectively.
64-bit OS can be more responsive if you frequently switch between apps, even
if they're 32-bit apps.
Then there's the dual/quad core issue:
If you run a program, it gets a core. It will most likely run faster on a
3GHz single core than on a 2.5GHz dual core.
If you start a second program with one core in use, it will start using the
second core, and will be noticeably faster on the 2.5GHz dual core.
The more things you try to do at once, the more benefit you'll notice from
dual/quad cores.
If you try to copy a large number of files, your CPU will spike to 100% and
it will be near impossible to do anything else until it's finished. If you
have multiple cores, you should be able to do other things.
more cores + multitasking = better
If you only run one program at a time, save your money. If they still sell
single core machines, they're much cheaper.