64 bit vs 32

[ptonsparky]

Ordering a new laptop today.

Biggest question at the moment is why would I want 64 bit vs a 32 Windows 7 Ultimate. No price difference.

No gaming. Very little CAD. Mostly Quickbooks, HMI & PLC programming.

 

[dhalleron]

Many programs will work on 32 bit or 64 bit. You might check the programs you plan to use the most. Some will run as 32 bit even if you have a 64 bit machine. Some things like printers will require 64 bit drivers if you get the 64 bit machine. Make sure any old hardware you want to use has 64 bit drivers available.

When I built my last two home computers I chose 64 bit for no other reason than the bigger number. I figured it had to be like more memory or a bigger hard drive. I really don?t think I would notice much of a difference in speed for the programs I use if I went with 32 bit.

Check out what Microsoft says about it:


http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/32-bit-and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions

 

[Fulthrotl]

Ordering a new laptop today.

Biggest question at the moment is why would I want 64 bit vs a 32 Windows 7 Ultimate. No price difference.

No gaming. Very little CAD. Mostly Quickbooks, HMI & PLC programming.

for the last year, i've been running windows 7 ultimate in 64 bit....
no problems to speak of, but i was doing a lot of gaming at the time,
and it made a huge difference. i was also running 30 mb fiber for my
net connection... but the gaming required opening 12 tabs in chrome
every 30-40 seconds, as fast as you could go.

playing mafia wars on facebook at the "demented" level is not advised.

i'd run 64 bit ultimate, 'cause that is where most stuff is going, and
it'll save the migration path later... provided your apps will run in it.

i've been running this laptop for a year now, and it's still about as
fast as you can buy, and for something to stay current for a year
in todays electronic march is remarkable. it's a hp envy. works well,
no complaints. the advantage about windows 7 ultimate is that you
can pretty easily put two drives in that laptop, and configure them
raid 0, which gives you mirrored hard drives, so if one takes a poop.... :-(

what would be really cool, is an ipad app to access a plc..... i'd drop
some folding money in a minute for that.


randy

 

[StephenSDH]

The number 1 reason for 64-bit machine is the OS being able to address more memory. A 32-bit machine has a 3.5Gbit limit.

A 64-bit machine in general will run unnoticably slower then a 32bit machine because there is a little more overhead with 64bit. Most applications can run on either, but you will notice no speed difference between the two. Some applications are designed to take advantage of 64-bit machine.

If your applications will not make use of the 64bit and you will never need more then 3.5Gig of Ram, then 32-bit would work just fine. If there is no upcharge then I would go with the 64.

 

[infinity]

As Stephen mentioned the big issue is the amount of RAM. If you want 6 or 8 Gigabytes of RAM you'll need to go with the 64 bit. I just bought a 64 bit Dell because I wanted 8 gig's of RAM.

 

[ptonsparky]

Went with the 32 bit. PLC rep suggested 64 was not a good match at this time. My current laptop is in for repairs and I just can't get caught without one at all.

 

[JWCELECTRIC]

Tom,

I need to order up a new desk top because the on I have which is 2 years old and is 32 bit machine. Had I know it was only good for 4 gig of RAM then I would have bought the 64 bit machine. I plan on going with the 64 bit since it bogs down with the apps I run now (Cad Exel, Quick Books etc.) Go with the 64 bit because a year down the road you don't want to be forced to get a new machine since all machines are going towards the 64. The up side is that you can add more Ram without limitations.

 

[wptski]

Just got a new PC opted for W7 64 bit Pro as you can run in XP Mode Virtual PC. Had to use XP Mode for a Fluke Ti-30 and VR1710 but the Fluke FVF for DMM, FV for Scopemeters and FV for the 43B all worked under W7.

 

[dmagyar]

My Pentium 4 I know is a dinosaur

My Pentium 4 I know is a dinosaur

I know that mine is a dinosaur, but I've kept it working, and all the software I need works with XP pro.

Until a lotto ticket hits, or the economy gets better that's what I'll be using, unless I retire first then it's all academic anyway.

 

[ptonsparky]

Pentium 4 is what I have at home. XP pro. Pretty much trouble free.

 

[ericsherman37]

I know that mine is a dinosaur, but I've kept it working, and all the software I need works with XP pro.

Until a lotto ticket hits, or the economy gets better that's what I'll be using, unless I retire first then it's all academic anyway.

I've got a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 with 512 MB of RAM and it was bought brand new in 2003. I keep it uncluttered and clear out the browser cache regularly and whatever else gums up the system and it still runs great. Just can't play any modern games on it :roll:

I've got a Dell laptop too. It's a piece of crap, but I put Linux on it and I love it for when I travel. Perfectly adequate to surf the web with.