32bit vs 64bit

[Silvgearx]

interesting...................

so how would some of you look at a I7 build with 6gb triple memory + 32bit OS? = ?

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by 5ILVgeARX

interesting...................

so how would some of you look at a I7 build with 6gb triple memory + 32bit OS? = ?

Unless you HAVE a reason to use that 6gb of ram there is no need for it.

Consumers simply buy what is on the market and don't care if they'll use it or not.

On the consumer sides of things 3gbof ram is STILL plenty.

[JD]

Ah enaberif, we love you so...

Any OEM that uses 4GB of RAM (or more) in a system, now installs x64 Vista since I'm guessing they got tired of people phoning in asking where the .75GB of RAM had gone. So to me, that shows x64 has finally gotten into mainstream, and should only progress further with Windows 7 and 6GB/8GB starting to become the norm.

I really see no reason not to buy a 64bit OS at this time.

[AkG]

32bit OSes are the past. 64 bit is the future. and saying XX is all we need is besides the point. We could all probably "get by" with 5 year old tech (as seen by the netbook craze). Does that mean we SHOULD do it?! Hell NO. Its all about having MORE than enough. 32bit OS may still be the norm (and 3-4gb) for the next year or two but with bloatware getting bigger and bigger and more consumers using programs to edit their big arsed photos and video this is changing PDQ. Consumers are relizing that more memory = better. And I KNOW I would not want to be the one to explain to "grandma six pack" that she can't USE all the ram she paid for in her shiny new system because of the OS.

Hell a Modern OS will gobble up all the ram you can throw at it, and IMHO that is a good thing. Faster load times is always a good thing, and its not like its harder on the ram whether its fully used or just idling there :)

Hell even more basic is why rape the HDD with pagefiles when ram is soooo cheap? Win 7 x64 is going to be around for years. Hell it may even be around as long as XP! Why limit yourself now to the 32bit version when the 64bit is the same price?

[rjbarker]

Enaberif has a point to a certain degree...most "average" consumers the 32 vs 64 will mean nothing, to us "enthusiasts" it means everything...
In my books, I couldn't imagine loading XP 32 Bit on my Rig....then again my wife and kids (average PC consumers) wouldn't notice anything at all different, other than it looks different....

I'm not an advocate for 32 Bit....not at all, but I see Enabs point.

Ah enaberif, we love you so...

Ha ha ha...you simply cannot help it eh....hhhmmmmm...my 780i Chipset still going strong

[grinder]

sorry enaberif. I can't trust a guys "64 bit OS opinions" from a guy who refuses to run Vista (of any flavor) and is stuck in Windows XP land.

the argument of how much ram your actually using rings quite hollow now days, as many of the display and chipset drivers are actually "tuned" to run on the 64 bit motherboards and processors that have been on the market for years. Case in point: Why is it that i get superior PPD on my F@H rigs when i run a 64 bit OS versus a 32 bit OS?

AKG said it best "32 bit OS's are the past". I have a feeling that when win7 hits retail, the split between x64 and x86 editions will be 10:1

[JD]

Originally Posted by rjbarker

Ha ha ha...you simply cannot help it eh....hhhmmmmm...my 780i Chipset still going strong

lol I love you too rjbarker It's more that the 650i I had left a bad taste in my mouth, so I don't really like NVIDIA chipsets anymore. And well they die on a fair number of people, or at least cause some sort of trouble.

[Perineum]

My point is that if you are running 3gb of ram or less then you're not going to have any advantage running 64 bit, and likely you'd end up with less performance than someone running 32bit.

I guess the arguement is going to be that you should install 64 bit "just because".

I'm all for 64 bit OS'es. One of the first things I did was go with 8gb of ram and a 64 bit OS.

However, if you KNOW you're going to be running under 3gb of RAM what is the advantage to 64 bit? Nada.

[AkG]

The difference is performance is going to be minimal. However, I can see your point on people running w/ 2GB of ram. Though to be honest, how many people A) have 2gb of ram + B) have a new enough system to handle 64bit system AND C) are interested in changing what they got (OS wise)? That sounds like a small minority of peeps running older hardware and in a year or three when they upgrade how many are going to get the same system...and not a "better one"? Take DDR2 ram for example, recently had a client whose system could only take 2GB total (and a craptacular P4 cpu). I actually paid the same amount for those 1GB sticks as I did for 2GB sticks for another build. IF all things are equal why would they willingly chose less?

We are talking about people either upgrading or buying new (as the OP is) when it comes to changing their OS. Most peeps don't do it at the drop of a hat. If you look at the flyers for prebuilt systems it appears that 4GB is now the standard...with 6gb on a lot of systems. You just don't see 2Gb and 3gb systems (anyone running an i7 w/ 3GB is most likely doing it for a specific reason).

I am all for keeping what you got if its working for you now (I still have a couple xp 32bit systems running which will stay XP 32 until I replace them)....BUT to buy a 32bit OS now? Hell no. That does not make any sense.

[bojangles]

I hate you guys! This whole debate of x86 vs x64 has made me sit on the edge of the seat...and now my western omelette is cold! UGGGGHHHHHH.


:P