Guys, I have a pc capable of running 64bit version of windows , i currently have 32bit vista ultimate installed , if i moved to the 64bit version , would there be any differnece in performance etc.. I am not fully clued up between 32 and 64 bit , so i dont really know what the difference is , can anyone give me some pointers? Is it worth while? Regards GR

No, because 64bit requires at least 4 GB of ram to run at optimal performance vs. 2 GB of ram on a 32bit version. Having a dual core processor running 64bit is also optimal vs. having a single core. 64bit is more secure then 32bit as of now at least. 64bit is more graphically clearer and in-depth when running 3D programs that can take advantage of 64bit. FarCry 32bit vs. FarCry 64 is one example of that. You can run 64bit, but there really isn't a point right now other then the fact that it’s a novelty for the home user, because most programs out there are still in 32bit format only and it’s going to be a good 4 or 5 years before 64bit will start becoming the standard.

Thanks for the reply , I rig is as follows CPU - Intel CoreDuo2 E6400 2.13ghz Conroe Mobo - MSI P965 Neo - Conroe Motherboard inc 7.1 Audio, LAN, USB2 PCI-Express 16 & DDR2 Support Fully Windows Vista & Core2 Ready RAM - 3gb DDR2 800mhz( going to 4gb soon ) PSU - 550 watt VGA - Sapphire Radeon X1950Pro 512mb HDD - 1x Maxtor 80gb SATA 1x Seagate 320gb SATA 1x Seagate 500gb SATA Optical - Pioneer DVD R 111d Case - Coolmaster Centurian Would this be ok for 64bit , when you say some programs wont run in 64bit , do you mean programs like utorrent , roboform them sort of programs or the bigger types like nortons ghost and anti - virus etc..?? Regards GR

No, If they are modern 32bit programs less then couple years old, then they will run under WOW64 fine, but it's emulated, meaning those programs will be in 32bit mode when you open them and not 64bit. You can run many modern 32bit programs under Vista/XP 64bit, but some older 32bit programs from a few years ago may not run at all. I found that out when i tried to install RegClean. it's almost a 4 year old program, and it wouldn't even run or intstall for that matter. So if you have some 32bit programs that are a few years old you may run into trouble.

Cobra_R 64bit requires at least 4 GB of ram to run at optimal performance vs. 2 GB of ram on a 32bit version If you have statistics to back that up, I'd love to see it. From a SDK standpoint, the only difference is the pointer sizes, which increased from 32-bit to 64-bit. I wouldn't think there would be THAT big of a resource hit. Then again, I rarely look at hardware/OS benchmarks unless I have to. GR-13 Unless you have explicit need for 64-bit, avoid it. While Vista 32-bit has most of its driver problems worked out, 64-bit driver problems have hardly been touched. (Noted exception: Video card drivers.) Any 32-bit program that hooks the kernel won't work, nor will any 32-bit services. That's to your advantage, however, because it keeps more malicious code from doing anything terribly bad. It's good, because I seem to have problems getting security software to run on a fresh installed/patched Vista 64-bit. (Case in point: Ad-Aware.) Strangely enough, a lot of the gamer software either works perfectly under 32-bit emulation, or they have a working 64-bit version. (Case in point: DAEMON Tools.)

Right, here watch it. There is a reason why Extreme Tech editior reccomends 4gb of ram for 64bit. http://dl.tv/2007/01/episode_135_wi...

Thanks; I'll watch it when I get home.