Vista 64 or 32

[edlemur]

For gaming, does 64 bit provide any major benefits besides being able to use over 4gb of ram. The reason I ask this is because i have been told that if Im going to use the Upgrade to go from xp32 to vista64, i will need to do a clean install.

 

[n7]

Good grief...

The x86 vs. x64 question gets posted 20 zillion times every week.

x86 = no future.
x64 = future

Doing a clean install is the best way to install any OS anyway.

Please do a search, or heck, just read a few pages in this forum & you'll find the same question asked a zillion times...

 

[edlemur]

yes but i only plan on doing this as a short term solution. im just going to buy the vista basic upgrade so i can use dx10 and by 2008, i should have enough to buy a full version of vista (most likely premium)

 

[n7]

Save up a bit longer & get Home Premium x64 upgrade?

 

[edlemur]

but i hear you cant upgrade from x86 to x64. i thats why i just want to upgrade to basic now and when i eventually happen to have a spare 200+ to buy the full vista premium, get it.

while searching for vista premium on newegg, i found this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...179216458&name=Premium

they all seem to be the same except 2 of them are a 3 pack and the other is a single. could somene explain to me what the diffeence is between the single pack and the two 3packs. as well as the difference between both 3 packs.

thanks

 

[edlemur]

Any reply would be appreciated

 

[Rebel44]

Just get OEM Vista Home Premium64 = 105 bucks

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: edlemur
Any reply would be appreciated

Search nooblet! This has been discussed at length.

 

[edlemur]

thanks rebel, but do you know the difference between those 3 options.?



Inlinefive:I dont appreciate your type of reply, no matter what your status is in this forum. I come back from football practice at 7 every day and then have 4 hours of AP homework. Then I try to find something interesting to do tonight. This is definately not one of MY priorities. In fact, show me any forum that discusses the difference between the 3 vista options I linked to prove me wrong.

 

[n7]

AFAIK, this still works fine: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5932

Will "solve" your dilemma.

 

[edlemur]

Thanks, but I have read over that already. But i have also been told microsoft made it so that it doesnt work anymore. I think ill go with the OEM version of X64. Right now, i dont see any drawbacks. Could someone tell me of the drawbacks (if any) from using the OEM version

 

[n7]

OEM = technically for an OEM to use. I.e., HP, Dell etc.

It also means no support from MS since you got the disc from HP, Dell, etc. right ?

The reason why this could become a concern is if you activate your OS too many times.

I know with my copy of XP Pro, i believe that after around the fifth time activating (due to many reinstalls/hardware changes), i had to start calling in to manually get it activated.

In short, if you were to run into that issue with your OEM copy, you'd be screwed, since MS will tell you to deal with your OEM.

Others will say the other drawback of OEM is that it's tied to one piece of hardware forever, like the motherboard, e.g., but IMO that's somewhat redundant, since an OEM copy isn't really supposed to be sold to enthusiasts like us in the first place; it's designed for that HP or Dell or custom shop's system they made for you...

This all being said, if i was on a tight budget & wanted to buy Vista, i'd very likely get the OEM version myself.


Just my $0.02; i could be somewhat wrong.

 

[Drexl]

I don't see the one motherboard requirement as a big drawback, since it won't be more expensive in the long run. If you use a computer for 2-3 years before upgrading, you're probably looking at no more than 2 OEM copies for the life of the OS (then there will be a new version to get). With OEM being half the cost of Retail it works out to be about the same, and by spending less up front you have the option to switch to something else if you want, with less of a financial hit. I would want to keep the OS on the first computer for some secondary duty anyway, so the option to transfer doesn't really appeal to me.

There is the possibility of the board dying, but I've been told that they will give you a new key if you call and tell them you had a hardware failure.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: n7
x86 = no future.

In defense of 32-bit, Microsoft is going to continue to back it in addition to 64-bit, the next version of Windows will support both 32-bit and 64-bit.

Although I would personally go with 64-bit mainly due to the extra security features and potential for large amounts of ram (if one's hardware has good driver support).

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh

Originally posted by: n7
x86 = no future.

In defense of 32-bit, Microsoft is going to continue to back it in addition to 64-bit, the next version of Windows will support both 32-bit and 64-bit.

Although I would personally go with 64-bit mainly due to the extra security features and potential for large amounts of ram (if one's hardware has good driver support).

Oh, i have no doubt we'll be seeing 32-bit OSes for a long time.

I consider x86 to have no future due to the RAM limitations, that's all.

That one reason alone makes x86 a poor choice for any enthusiast IMO.

 

[teclis1023]

Edlemur,

If this isn't one of YOUR priorities, why on earth would you expect it to be one of ours? General forum etiquette across the internet includes searching for subjects before posting a question. That's been the rule for ages now.

Try using google, wikipedia and other obscure resources to learn the differences between x86 architecture and x64.

 

[edlemur]

because many people here work with computers and work would obviously be one of their top priorities. my main question that you misunderstood though, was if i needed to do a clean install, which, i cant find elsewhere