Which one? 32 or 64bit

I have been happy to plod along with XP but after me dad got a new PC with
Vista I decided to change from WinXP to VIsta. Why do microsoft make it so
hard to choose which one? ok easy option here go for ultimate edition .... ok
but which one 32 or 64? ok so I have a Athlon 64 so i take it that means i go
for the 64 bit version? or do i need to take other hardware into
consideration? can some please give me a quick guide to which one i go for 32
or 64.

Thanks for your help in advanced.

Don't bother with the 64-bit version unless you need to support more then
4gb of memory, a program you need only comes in a 64-bit version, or both.
There is no advantage to running a 64-bit OS for the ordinary user and the
dearth of drivers makes it problematic at best.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
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"Squirrel*Salad" <Squirrel*> wrote in message
news:3052C231-2E1F-449C-B581-...
>I have been happy to plod along with XP but after me dad got a new PC with
> Vista I decided to change from WinXP to VIsta. Why do microsoft make it so
> hard to choose which one? ok easy option here go for ultimate edition ....
> ok
> but which one 32 or 64? ok so I have a Athlon 64 so i take it that means i
> go
> for the 64 bit version? or do i need to take other hardware into
> consideration? can some please give me a quick guide to which one i go for
> 32
> or 64.
>
> Thanks for your help in advanced.

32-bit only accesses about 3.3gb.


--
dekruyter

"Squirrel*Salad" wrote
>I have been happy to plod along with XP but after me dad got a new PC with
> Vista I decided to change from WinXP to VIsta. Why do microsoft make it so
> hard to choose which one? ok easy option here go for ultimate edition ....
> ok
> but which one 32 or 64? ok so I have a Athlon 64 so i take it that means i
> go
> for the 64 bit version? or do i need to take other hardware into
> consideration? can some please give me a quick guide to which one i go for
> 32
> or 64.
>
> Thanks for your help in advanced.

32bit Vista will run fine on a 64bit processor. Thee is a lack of driver
support for hardware for 64bit Vista, so unless you need something specific
to 64bit, as R. McCarty wrote, then go with 32 bit.

--
Rock [MS-MVP User/Shell]

if you already have the computer you should run the vista upgrade advisor.
it is not a guarantee, but a starting point.
going with 64 bit you will need to verify that there are 64 bit drivers for all your hardware. and any programs that you use are also 64 bit versions. 32 bit versions might still run, but 64 bit ones would be better.








"Squirrel*Salad" <Squirrel*> wrote in message news:3052C231-2E1F-449C-B581-...
I have been happy to plod along with XP but after me dad got a new PC with
Vista I decided to change from WinXP to VIsta. Why do microsoft make it so
hard to choose which one? ok easy option here go for ultimate edition ..... ok
but which one 32 or 64? ok so I have a Athlon 64 so i take it that means i go
for the 64 bit version? or do i need to take other hardware into
consideration? can some please give me a quick guide to which one i go for 32
or 64.

Thanks for your help in advanced.

Depends on how modern your system and your peripherals are (and how much
memory you have)
On an older model and peripherals and 2Gb or less memory, stick to 32 bit.
Its not that 64 bit won't work, but with such a system there are few
benefits (if any) and potentially many problems.

If your system is up to it (especially if you have more than 2Gb Ram) there
are benefits to be had going to 64 bit.
Full recognition of all installed memory (and ability to use it) and
considerably increased security, just to name two.
Also as new hardware and software are developed from scratch with 64 bits in
mind there will be a performance gain over 32 bit.
However that is a bit contentious at this moment in time.

As to the 64 bit driver question.
I have hardly any problems at all.
Almost everywhere I look, manufacturers seem to be coming up with 64 bit
drivers.
It really does depend on how old your hardware peripherals / components are.
You just have to do your homework and weigh up the risks.
(Vista upgrade adviser is an obvious first step)

On a new(ish) machine with recent peripherals and plenty of memory I would
(did) go for 64 bit evry time.
But then I have had a very positive experience so I would say that anyway.

Its an easy decision for older machines (32 bit) or brand new machine &
peripherals (64 bit)
The hard decision is if you are somewhere between !


Phypps


"Squirrel*Salad" <Squirrel*> wrote in message
news:3052C231-2E1F-449C-B581-...
>I have been happy to plod along with XP but after me dad got a new PC with
> Vista I decided to change from WinXP to VIsta. Why do microsoft make it so
> hard to choose which one? ok easy option here go for ultimate edition ....
> ok
> but which one 32 or 64? ok so I have a Athlon 64 so i take it that means i
> go
> for the 64 bit version? or do i need to take other hardware into
> consideration? can some please give me a quick guide to which one i go for
> 32
> or 64.
>
> Thanks for your help in advanced.