should i go for win 7 x86 or x64

savithk

Journeyman
this is my new system configuration
AMD Phenom II X2 555 ( 3.2 GHz )
Asus ATI Radeon HD 4350 1GB DDR2
ASUS M4N68T-M V2
DDR3 - 1333 4GB RAM
500 GB HHD

should i go for windows 7 32 bit or 64 bit.....
 
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vamsi_krishna

Human Spambot
Well, windows 7 64bit does supports 4GB of ram(source).. but there are user complaints that only 3.5-3.6GB of ram is being detected. So, its wise to move to 64bit. Not only because it gives you extra 400mb ram, but things stay bit faster in x64 operating system.

But, you might face problems while installing some legacy software and there is this driver signing issue which makes it a bit hard to make run certain individual programs.. but they are not things that can't be overcomed.

After all, why stay with 32bit when you can run 64bit :p
 

topgear

Super Moderator
Staff member
64 bit is the way to go. If you are buying it get win 7 x64 home Premium edition.
 
Windows 7 64-Bit. It will utilize you hardware much better that the 32-Bit (x86) version of Windows 7. It supports 32-Bit software too, so I don't think you'll have any problems.
 

desiibond

Bond, Desi Bond!
Definitely x64. The software compatibility issues are almost gone and you can always run the incompatible s/w in 32-bit mode.
 

A.Jesin

Right off the assembly line
You can definitely go with 64 bit but before that make sure all the software you use currently available in 64 bit versions. And also if your pocket permits upgrade to more RAM else you'll be migrating to 64 bit just to take advantage of a meager 400MB RAM :)
 

topgear

Super Moderator
Staff member
to utilize that much ( beyond 4 GB ) ram he need to use some really system heavy apps like virtualization apps or some apps like maya/3ds max or premier and that app also has to be a x64 one otherwise the app will only utilize 2GB ram @ max.
 

digibrush

digitalpainter
I wanted to ask the same question.

Which is faster win 7 x86 or x64?

My specs are 2.93 ghz core i3 with 2x2 gb ddr3 running with win 7 32 bit and it showing only 3.12 gb of ram.

I dont have any older hardware installed and i work with high resolution image editing and video editing, also works with 3ds amax and maya.

So if i upgrade to 64 bit with 4 gb ram(I dont installed more ram right now) will my system run faster?
Or should I stay with 32bit ?

Well I dont have any reply almost after 12 hours, but I a have an answere form Microsoft Support.
And I like to share it, may it will help somebody.

"A 64 bit OS isn't really about speed. When running 32 bit applications a 32 bit OS will usually be faster than a 64 bit OS.

A 64 bit OS has two major advantages over a 32 bit OS:
1. Ability to access more RAM. A 32 bit OS will be limited to roughly 3GB while a 64 bit OS can access much more. How much more will depend on the OS edition and your hardware.
2. A vastly increased virtual address space, 8192 GB vs 2GB. But that is only for native 64 bit apps. For 32 bit apps it will be 4GB, but only for those that explicitly indicate compatibility and most don't. All of this is totally independent of RAM size.

Whether or not these advantages will be important to you depends on the applications used and what they are doing.

A 64 bit OS will probably allow access to all or most of your 4GB RAM. But that depends on your hardware. "

I dont take any dicision of chosing OS, just wating for if i have any more reply here.
 
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the Microsoft answers it all.

if u upgrade to 64bit all ur s/w eg 3ds max , maya etc will have to be 64 bit or it will throw errors while rendering and will not be able to utilize all system resources.
 

topgear

Super Moderator
Staff member
that answer is correct though they have not mentioned everything.

A 32 bit OS is capable of using ram as high as 128GB! Think of windows server 2003 data center edition.

but a 32 bit app can only use mem upto 2GB.

A 32bit consumer grade OS can use upto 4GB ram.

sometime 32bit apps runs a little bit slow on 64bit OS coz to run a 32bit app the 64bit OS emulates x86 environment ( think of WOW64 ).

From personal user experience I can tell you that 64bit offers much more improved disk performance than 32bit OS.

In your case - you will be benefited by using 64bit OS and 64bit versions of both maya and 3ds max.

BTW, do you have a discrete a gfx card ?
 

skeletor

Chosen of the Omnissiah
I'll keep it simple.

You have a 64bit processor, so get a 64bit OS. It's _the_ time to move forward. And there are hardly any compatibility issues now. You'll see all the new laptops coming with Windows 7 64bit these days with no option of 32bit!
 

digibrush

digitalpainter
@ arpanmukherjee1, thanks for reply.

@ topgear, thank you, I had one gfx card, slower one, xfx 9500gt 1gb, it failed after using one year. Now I like to buy ati 5770 but dont found any msi 5770 card. only xfx are available. still searching..

@ ico, thank you for you reply.
 

desiibond

Bond, Desi Bond!
@ arpanmukherjee1, thanks for reply.

@ topgear, thank you, I had one gfx card, slower one, xfx 9500gt 1gb, it failed after using one year. Now I like to buy ati 5770 but dont found any msi 5770 card. only xfx are available. still searching..

@ ico, thank you for you reply.

I think XFX is a better brand than MSI for GPUs, the only issue being Rashi handling the support.

I am using windows 7 x64 in an office environment flooded with 32 bit applications. Every single app is now working without any issue and I never face any compatibility problems when I download and install all kind of junk apps (beta and final)
 

digibrush

digitalpainter
Thanks desiibond, somewhere i read MSI is better for gfx card, anyway i have xfx card and it failed after one year(it has 3 years warranty), problem is not about failing, problem is about the importers of xfx and about replacement of product.

I dont have any previous experience about them but I read and hear a lot about there"reputation".

May be within a day I can tell you here what is my experience about it.

Thanks again.
 

topgear

Super Moderator
Staff member
^^ if your distributor is Rashi peripheral and you are facing any RMA issue feel free to use these threads :

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/hardware-q/133296-rashi-peripheral-cheating-xfx-graphic-card-warranty.html

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/hardware-q/133443-rashi-rma-experience-thread.html

BTW, Sapphire is a better brand for ATI gfx cards.
 

digibrush

digitalpainter
Thanks, in my case importer of XFX is Akshay Enterprises.

I hear and read lot about them:
Never buy XFX GPUs or deal with Akshay Enterprises in Kolkata

XFX Complaints - Not giving warranty

But I have my replacement within 10 days, to be exaxtly I place it for RMA 15-11-2010 and I got it yeasterday 24-11-2010.

And I run it for few hours...maybe it is alright..but have another problem which need a new thread.
 

digibrush

digitalpainter
In my case importer is Akshay Enterprises and I also hear and read a lot about Akshya but I have my replacement yesterday within 10 days.

I have run the card for few hours and maybe it is alright.

But I am facing a new problem related with this card which I need to discuss in Hardware QA Discussion Forum.
 
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