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When do you see Vista 64 being more main stream?

G

gizbug

Platinum Member
Seems like a small percentage of people use 64 for the 4gig ram benefits. Wondering when you see Vista 64 being more main stream than say 5% or so of users using it?

Next year? Never?
 
It will happen eventually. That is Microsoft's master plan to have all 64 bit systems out there. Probably in 2-3 years 64 bit will be the majority.
 
Frankly, if it didn't happen with the release of Vista, I'd say we're at least five years away from "mainstream" 64-bit OS use. A lot of software would have to be rewritten to provide significant advantages in a 64-bit world or there won't be any "burning platform" for moving. IE, MS Office, and even home photo/video software runs nicely with a 32-bit OS. For the "majority" to move to a 64-bit OS, these types of apps would have to become much more sophisticated, demanding higher memory limits, etc.

FWIW, I think gaming will (as usual) be the trailblazer here. Once game developers master DX10, I think the 2GB application memory barrier is the next thing to challenge.

Just my opinions, of course. I'm usually totally wrong. =)
 
In about a year 4GB will be mandatory for games at high settings. Heck, it already is for a couple (Supreme Commander). These games need to overcome the 2GB limit per application, lest they crash, as AT's article showed so clearly.

This will make 64-bit the only choice for enthusiasts and gamers. As for when we'll see Vista 64 with your average mid-range laptop? Probably won't happen during Vista's lifetime...who knows? If drivers mature soon enough, it might, to the point of most non techie people not even noticing.

 
Originally posted by: Nothinman
This will make 64-bit the only choice for enthusiasts and gamers.
Click to expand...

Which is still a very small niche compared to the whole of computer users so it'll help a bit, but not much.
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True, but then again, most computer users don't need anywhere near the graphics power that's out there at the moment, nor the processing power, and yet those somehow still evolve.
 
It's only going to happen once Microsoft releases a desktop OS only in 64-bit. Maybe the next version of Windows, definitely by the version after. Without that kind of pressure, software developers aren't going to be pushed to support it.
 
True, but then again, most computer users don't need anywhere near the graphics power that's out there at the moment, nor the processing power, and yet those somehow still evolve.
Click to expand...

True, but at $600 a card when it probably costs them like $60 each to mass produce I'm not surprised.
 
64 bit will become mainstream when nobody talks about it anymore.

Remember when you had to pay attention to 16 bit and 32 bit applications and choose accordingly? When was the last time you heard about 16 bit apps?

I suspect it will eventually be the same.
 
Originally posted by: Nothinman
True, but then again, most computer users don't need anywhere near the graphics power that's out there at the moment, nor the processing power, and yet those somehow still evolve.
Click to expand...

True, but at $600 a card when it probably costs them like $60 each to mass produce I'm not surprised.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but it probably cost a lot more to conceptualize the architecture/pay engineers who came up with it.
 
The only reason I installed Vista64 on my machine is that I was at a point in which I could do it without worrying too much although I do still find myself occasionally having to go back to XP32 for various tasks (like installing a new program onto my wife's Palm T3) but beyond that Vista64 is working fine. I am now down to a few programs that haven't been updated for Vista64 yet though which is annoying.

It will be mainstream when nobody thinks about 32bit anymore or thinks of it as "old school".
 
Well, the differences in performance between 32 bit and 64 bit mostly boils down to hardware and how much of it is being used. Hardware has always been driven by the gaming industry. So, when games demand it for the best quality performance then people will switch.
 
Originally posted by: gizbug
Seems like a small percentage of people use 64 for the 4gig ram benefits. Wondering when you see Vista 64 being more main stream than say 5% or so of users using it?
Next year? Never?
Click to expand...

We are 6 months into the 64bit migration (based on Vista's release, XP64 was orphaned). We are simply going to see systems start coming from the larger vendors with V64. They will do this so they can sell more upgrades later (ram primarily). The entire migration will take many years, but we will look back at 07-08 as the years that 64bit went mainstream.
 
The addressing limitations alone are going to drive a lot of people to 64bit in the coming years; what's a "normal" amount of RAM nowadays on a new prosumer level Dell or HP computer? 2+GB? Not long and the norm will be even more (on my desktop I'm currently running 6GB and already wishing I had considered motherboards that support > 8GB).

If anything it's some of the OEMs that are holding it back; I've seen a lot of OEMs selling x64 hardware pre-packaged with x86 Vista.

Give it time, it will happen.
 
Yeah, but it probably cost a lot more to conceptualize the architecture/pay engineers who came up with it.
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No doubt, but they also have low and mid-range cards and OEM deals, it's not like the high-end stuff is their only source of income.
 
I'm curious as to a percentage of users on here who use Vista64. I've heard its 10-15% faster than 32bit. Haven't confirmed that yet.
 
I've heard its 10-15% faster than 32bit. Haven't confirmed that yet.
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That will vary wildly from application to application. Some like A/V encoding will get noticeable benefits from being 64-bit but most apps will be the same or a bit slower overall.
 
I'll say give it 2 more years, then it will become better as more manufactures and software makers make their drivers and software more compatible for Vista
 
The answer is when games require it for higher settings.

Games have been pushing the hardware limits for years and it will push the market into the 64 bit OS soon. It is true that only a % of computer users are gamers, but then you need to consider all of those people that simply want the best. After that, you need to consider everyone who installs the 64 bit version simply because they found out it was popular thinking it will increase performance on their machine despite whether it actually does or not. Once that bubble bursts then you will find more 64 bit OS's on the shelves and people will start buying them not knowing that they are 64 bit. So on and so forth...

This kind of transition is nothing new.
 
After that, you need to consider everyone who installs the 64 bit version simply because they found out it was popular thinking it will increase performance on their machine despite whether it actually does or not.
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True, I've run into several (non-technical) people recently who made a statement to the effect of "I got 64bit because it's faster"
 
Originally posted by: spyordie007
After that, you need to consider everyone who installs the 64 bit version simply because they found out it was popular thinking it will increase performance on their machine despite whether it actually does or not.
Click to expand...
True, I've run into several (non-technical) people recently who made a statement to the effect of "I got 64bit because it's faster"
Click to expand...

Hehe, they are probably thinking of the N64 and its 64-bits of power.

😛
 
Originally posted by: Noema
Originally posted by: spyordie007
After that, you need to consider everyone who installs the 64 bit version simply because they found out it was popular thinking it will increase performance on their machine despite whether it actually does or not.
Click to expand...
True, I've run into several (non-technical) people recently who made a statement to the effect of "I got 64bit because it's faster"
Click to expand...

Hehe, they are probably thinking of the N64 and its 64-bits of power.

😛
Click to expand...
Funny thing is both of them were running x86 OSes (one XP and the other Vista)....

:roll:
 
Doesn't a 64bit OS and a 64bit processor produce better results than a 32bit os and 64bit processor?
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Better? Any mathematical results should be exactly the same no matter which platform you're using, if not then the application generating them likely has a nasty bug.
 
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