Should I go with Vista 32 or 64?

[srcstc]

I just got vista and it came with 32 and 64 bit. I have an athlon64 but would I be better off with the 32bit? What are the pros and cons?

 

[sapiens74]

32bit


64 bit will run some software but most drivers and software have a hard time with it. Might be worth waiting a bit for 64bit to mature

 

[srcstc]

That's the answer I was looking for. thank you.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: sapiens74
32bit


64 bit will run some software but most drivers and software have a hard time with it. Might be worth waiting a bit for 64bit to mature

Been hearing that for the last 2 years...Hasn't happened yet.

 

[tehtank]

So that means it's definitely worth waiting for 64bit to mature =p

 

[jkresh]

check your hardware for drivers and your software, 64 is a bit more secure and a little bit faster, its also fairly compatible. I havent had any major issues with it (all my hardware works, and the software that I am having issue with has problems with vista 32 as well). Xp64 had a lot of issues, vista64 is significantly more mainstream and if your hardware has drivers and you dont run any 16bit programs (they wont work without an emulator) then go for it.

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: sapiens74
32bit


64 bit will run some software but most drivers and software have a hard time with it. Might be worth waiting a bit for 64bit to mature

Not exactly right,64 bit Vista will run virtually all 32 bit software that is compatible with Vista,it has no legacy 16 bit software support since they removed that from the OS,good thing IMHO another less thing to worry about.


A lot of companies that make Vista drivers are making both Vista x68 and Vista x64 drivers so they can have WHQL cert from Microsoft,Microsoft won't give WHQL unless they submit both driver versions.

I have all the 64 bit Vista drivers for my hardware,even devices like Winfast USB DTV tuner and Color Spyder2Express USB calibration tool(they only took 5 weeks from Vista's official release date,not bad for a new OS).So if you have 64 bit Vista drivers for your hardware its worth going 64 bit for the better security it has and better larger memory handling 4GB and up.

Vista x64 compatibility is very good,here's my list of installed software.




Firefox 32 bit version 2.0.0.3 with java and flash installed
Thunderbird (64 bit version)
Avast Home free (64 bit version)
CCleaner
Quicktime and iTunes
O&O defrag 8.6 (64 bit version)
Nero 7
Spywareblaster
Spybot
Printmaster 16
ZipGenius
Speedfan 4.32
uTorrent


Games installed.
Baldur's Gate 1 with exp pack
Baldur's Gate 2 with exp pack
KOTOR
KOTOR 2
Jedi academy
Jedi Outcast
Morrowind and all exp packs.
Oblivion
Might and Magic 8
UT2004
Vanguard
UFO-Afterlight
Silverfall
Starcraft with exp pack
Steam(DoD,TFC etc..).

Do note Microsoft's next OS is going to be 64 bit only from what I have read.My Vista x64 HP has been solid and all those games work.

One more thing ,software that has problems with Vista has problems with both Vista x68 and Vista x64 in general,so if it works in Vista x68 then a good chance (99.8%) it'll work in Vista x64(not including 16 bit software for obvious reasons).

 

[Jack03]

The 64-bit version of Windows Vista operating system is about 10.9 percent faster than 32-bit Vista. Real significant wins for 64 version are Jpeg decompress, and 1/2 of memory benchies. IMO, performance wise 64-bit version is the best option.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: Jack03
The 64-bit version of Windows Vista operating system is about 10.9 percent faster than 32-bit Vista. Real significant wins for 64 version are Jpeg decompress, and 1/2 of memory benchies. IMO, performance wise 64-bit version is the best option.

Where did you see this? I've been interested in seeing performance comparisons between Vista 32/64 but haven't really been able to find any yet.

 

[Boyo]

32 bit. The 64 bit is a pain.

 

[corkyg]

Last week, I attended a Microsoft Technet Event, and at the conclusion of a solid, 4-hour presentation, the MS Spokesman, Chris Henley, addressed that topic.

He said that today we are in a chicken and egg situation. 64 bit is the future - but software developers are not willing to risk a lot of $$$ on 64 bit products until the 64 bit market shows some action. The future is 64 bit - but today, it is still in its infancy as far as the overall industry is concerned. He advised that if we were building or deploying new systems, to make them 64-bit capable. He specifically cited Core 2 Duo systems.

After digesting that, and reading the many valid comments on the subject, my sense is this . . . wouldn't it be great to have a dual boot system with Vista 32 and Vista 64? Maybe that is a path that Microsoft should take a look at if they really want to promote 64 bit. Just a thought.

 

[n7]

I'd like to say 64-bit, but really, it's still a tad immature.

So i'm still running 32-bit, even though i'd like to be running 64-bit.

I may triple boot Vista 64, 32, & XP sometime soon...just haven't gotten around to it yet.

I couldn't even get iTAT or CoreTemp to work on a buddy'sVista 64-bit system though...that alone was annoying.

 

[Brian48]

Been running WinXP 64bit for over a year now. I know Vista has better 64bit support than WinXP 64, but based on my experiences, there are no practical differences between the two other than slightly better software and driver support under 32bit. Until the rest of the industry catches up or unless you REALLY need to run in 64bit, I'd stick with 32bit for normal desktop use.

 

[Pwnbroker]

Originally posted by: Boyo
32 bit. The 64 bit is a pain.

It pays to look at Microsoft's HCL (Hardware Compatibility List) to see if your rig (or planned rig) will work and at what level it is compatible.

I didn't really do this. I did and I didn't. I bought all new hardware, but when making a decision between compatibility and performance/quality, performance/quality won hands down every time. I have had surprisingly few problems considering probably half of my hardware isn't even on the HCL.

As far as companies and 64 bit goes, if the interest in 64 bit computing isn't there, they aren't going to pull out their wallets and get on board. If everybody is demanding 64 bit drivers for their hardware, guess what's gonna happen. I wholeheartedly recommend 64 bit.

 

[Aberforth]

no need to look at HCL, just run upgrade advisor and it will tell you whether your hardware is compatible. If you go for 32bit you will have at least one topic (or more) booked for future in this forum and i'm not gonna answer it.