Vista 32 or Vista 64?

[sbazzle]

I will begin ordering and building my newest computer next month. It will be quite the beast, hardware-wise, and I'll be making the step up to Vista (we had a great run, XP....thanks for the memories). Now my question is whether I should get the 32-bit version, or jump up to the 64-bit one. I have read reviews and viewpoints on which one should be the one to get. Most of the opinions I've read are that we should stick with 32-bit for now and give 64-bit more time to "spread".

What do you guys think? And if you've got Vista, which one are you using?

 

[mechBgon]

I'd recommend using 64-bit if possible. Additional security features, plus support for lots of RAM.

If you buy retail-boxed Vista, you can pick up the 64-bit DVD for another $10 or so and use either 32-bit or 64-bit (just not both at once). If you get Vista Ultimate (retail-boxed) then the 64-bit DVD is included in the package, otherwise you order one from this page.

 

[Mem]

It's quite simple are you going to use old 16 bit software or can't find Vista x64 bit drivers for your hardware?

Personally very old 16 bit software is not important to me and I do have all of the Vista x64 drivers available,also once you start going 4GB+ then 64 bit OS starts to become more of an important factor.

As to gaming and general usage,all I can say from my last 12 months of usage is Vista x64 has been solid in those areas for me,very happy Vista owner and gamer .

 

[sbazzle]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
I'd recommend using 64-bit if possible. Additional security features, plus support for lots of RAM.

If you buy retail-boxed Vista, you can pick up the 64-bit DVD for another $10 or so and use either 32-bit or 64-bit (just not both at once). If you get Vista Ultimate (retail-boxed) then the 64-bit DVD is included in the package, otherwise you order one from this page.

Yeah, I'd much rather go for 64-bit, especially since Vista's been out for a year, and SP1 is right around the corner. Plus, a year should be plenty of time for most hardware manufacturers to get 64-bit drivers made up.

Also, as a personal opinion, I never buy a retail version of Windows. Never. It's ridiculous to spend almost twice as much just to get it in a shiny, fancy box, and a shiny, fancy book about how shiny and fancy the OS is. OEM Windows all the way!! Bless you, NewEgg.

 

[sbazzle]

Originally posted by: Mem
It's quite simple are you going to use old 16 bit software or can't find Vista x64 bit drivers for your hardware?

Personally very old 16 bit software is not important to me and I do have all of the Vista x64 drivers available,also once you start going 4GB+ then 64 bit OS starts to become more of an important factor.

As to gaming and general usage,all I can say from my last 12 months of usage is Vista x64 has been solid in those areas for me,very happy Vista owner and gamer .

Seeing as I'm a forward-thinking kind of guy, 16-bit is so last decade. As for the drivers, I've gone through about half the hardware that I know will be using Vista (printers, scanners, webcams), and the 64-bit drivers are all available. I'll have plenty of time to run through all my hardware before I start ordering all the parts for the new computer.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: sbazzle

Originally posted by: mechBgon
I'd recommend using 64-bit if possible. Additional security features, plus support for lots of RAM.

If you buy retail-boxed Vista, you can pick up the 64-bit DVD for another $10 or so and use either 32-bit or 64-bit (just not both at once). If you get Vista Ultimate (retail-boxed) then the 64-bit DVD is included in the package, otherwise you order one from this page.

Yeah, I'd much rather go for 64-bit, especially since Vista's been out for a year, and SP1 is right around the corner. Plus, a year should be plenty of time for most hardware manufacturers to get 64-bit drivers made up.

IIRC, manufacturers are required to release both 32-bit and 64-bit drivers in parallel if they want Vista logo certification (not the official name for it, but you know what I mean). Older or unusual hardware might have problems.

Also, as a personal opinion, I never buy a retail version of Windows. Never. It's ridiculous to spend almost twice as much just to get it in a shiny, fancy box, and a shiny, fancy book about how shiny and fancy the OS is. OEM Windows all the way!! Bless you, NewEgg.

OEM is only for one computer evar, then you have to buy it again, and may not be sold off for re-use either, not without the computer it's "married" to. Retail-boxed is re-usable forever on system after system, and can be sold off independently. So it's not quite so "ridiculous" to spend twice as much for Retail when you look at the long haul, at least if you plan to upgrade platforms (mobo/CPU) a couple times before moving on from Vista, and/or want the option to sell off your Vista license later. But whichever works best for your scenario :thumbsup:

 

[Mem]

OEM is only for one computer evar, then you have to buy it again, and may not be sold off for re-use either, not without the computer it's "married" to. Retail-boxed is re-usable forever on system after system, and can be sold off independently. So it's not quite so "ridiculous" to spend twice as much for Retail when you look at the long haul, at least if you plan to upgrade platforms (mobo/CPU) a couple times before moving on from Vista, and/or want the option to sell off your Vista license later. But whichever works best for your scenario

I use OEM,however I have 2 PCs,main one has Vista and the other has XP which will be upgraded to Vista at some point,by the time I get around to upgrading my main PC again we'll probably have Vienna available or around the corner so very cost effective OEMs are if you upgrade more then one PC over time(years in my case).

 

[sbazzle]

OEM is only for one computer evar, then you have to buy it again, and may not be sold off for re-use either, not without the computer it's "married" to. Retail-boxed is re-usable forever on system after system, and can be sold off independently. So it's not quite so "ridiculous" to spend twice as much for Retail when you look at the long haul, at least if you plan to upgrade platforms (mobo/CPU) a couple times before moving on from Vista, and/or want the option to sell off your Vista license later. But whichever works best for your scenario :thumbsup:

I actually wasn't aware of the "one system only" thing with OEM. That's not a problem, however, since I only ever build one new system about every 4-5 years. But that does bring up an annoyance with Microsoft. Think about all the people out there who aren't as tech savvy as us, who want to upgrade their single computer to Vista. They probably have no idea about the OEM option and spend a huge chunk of change on the retail version they find at Best Buy.

A moment of silence for their wallets...........

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: sbazzle

OEM is only for one computer evar, then you have to buy it again, and may not be sold off for re-use either, not without the computer it's "married" to. Retail-boxed is re-usable forever on system after system, and can be sold off independently. So it's not quite so "ridiculous" to spend twice as much for Retail when you look at the long haul, at least if you plan to upgrade platforms (mobo/CPU) a couple times before moving on from Vista, and/or want the option to sell off your Vista license later. But whichever works best for your scenario :thumbsup:

I actually wasn't aware of the "one system only" thing with OEM. That's not a problem, however, since I only ever build one new system about every 4-5 years. But that does bring up an annoyance with Microsoft. Think about all the people out there who aren't as tech savvy as us, who want to upgrade their single computer to Vista. They probably have no idea about the OEM option and spend a huge chunk of change on the retail version they find at Best Buy.

A moment of silence for their wallets...........

At Newegg, the price differential between Vista HP Upgrade (retail) and Vista HP OEM is only $33, not exactly a huge difference in absolute terms. And the retail Upgrade version can do an in-place Upgrade on the most likely previous versions of Windows (XP Home and XP MCE), preserving the installed apps and data. OEM Windows can only do clean installations, requiring the user to back up their data, install Windows, reinstall apps, and restore their data afterwards. For the average BestBuy shopper, the in-place upgrade is probably a desirable capability that OEM will not offer them.