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Installing Win 7 - 32bit or 64bit
hamdingers
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Wife's PC was root-kitted - long story short I decided the easiest way forward is to slap a new HD in there and go to Win 7 (currently Vista - ugh)
Specs: AMD Athlon 64 (2.60Ghz), 2 GB RAM
Looking for advice on which version of Win7 I should be putting on the HD.
Thanks!
Specs: AMD Athlon 64 (2.60Ghz), 2 GB RAM
Looking for advice on which version of Win7 I should be putting on the HD.
Thanks!
hamdingers on
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This is probably going to be the last 32-bit version of windows - you might as well adopt the standard now.
Blizzard: Pailryder#1101
GoG: https://www.gog.com/u/pailryder
Both work exceptionally well. I've noticed a few driver problems with the 64 bit version (or did when it was first released) but these days almost everything works fine, or will if you use compatibility mode with older hardware/software.
Honestly on that machine I'd just run the 32 bit. I've got no basis for it, but I think it would be a little faster.
There is in fact less protection with the 64bit architecture, the only advantage would be from encryption, but we need to wait till vendors start writting applications for 64bit.
The only real difference between 32 and 64 bit Windows is that 32-bit can only see 3.2 GB. The bad thing about 64-bit is that you lose 16-bit app support, and you have to use 64 bit drivers on your system.
The 3.2 GB memory issue is probably the biggest problem. Most systems are coming out with 4-6 starting. You are going to get into a memory pinch real quick. Oh, and you guys running 32 bit and the system is reporting 4GB in your system or higher, it's lying. 32 bit can only see 3.2GB (The other 800MB is reserved for hardware, which has priority, meaning, of you put in a 1GB graphics card, you just "ate" 200MB of memory and now you only have 3GB left over)
If you have in windows 3.1 programs around, they won't work in win64, but if you have some 3.1 apps, upgrading our computer is the least of your problems.
The driver issue hasn't really been a problem for a few years now. Anything made nowadays has both 32 and 64 bit drivers for it. If you have that crufty Deskjet 660 from 1996 with the parallel port, or that TWAIN flatbed scanner with the goofy pop-up usb driver, just throw that crap away. Multi-function printers are selling for less than $80 now.
Go to 64-bit, seriously, no reason to hobble your computer from the get-go.
Not inherently, but 64-bit Win7 runs things like Patchguard that the 32-bit version doesn't. Now, whether things like Patchguard are effective, I don't know.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Blizzard: Pailryder#1101
GoG: https://www.gog.com/u/pailryder
No it won't. Machines cannot suffer, because they do not have souls. But mostly it won't suffer because there is no performance hit for running 64 bit Windows in any scenario. There are only performance gains to be had.
Your RAM has them. It stores stuff in them. If certain classes of numbers take twice as many bits... you get the idea.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
Fine, install 32 bit. Like I said, it doesn't matter.
Why are you taking this so damn personally?
You're missing the point.
That hardware is likely almost a decade old. Driver compatibility for it is either shit, or doesn't exist anymore. They didn't really go back and add 64 bit compatibility to older hardware, especially when 64 bit windows was just emerging on the market.
*Some OEM copies might break this rule and require a certain architecture. System builder copies bought off newegg or whatever will not, though.