Dell: Vista 32 vs 64 bit
Vista 32 vs 64 bit
by namsilat1 - 3/21/09 9:23 PMI am thinking about purchasing a Dell Studio 15 laptop, which offers the option of 32 bit vs 64 bit Vista OS. I read a review on the topic, that at minimum the CPU and the motherboard have to both support 64 bit system in order to run it. My question is whether it's recommended to go with 64 bit OS with Studio 15's configuration, including its motherboard?
ram
by chickenorfish - 3/21/09 9:41 PM In reply to: Vista 32 vs 64 bit by namsilat1the only reason i see to get 64bit is if you want 4gb or more of ram
dont worry about the hardware, the configuration will take of the issues
4GB
by namsilat1 - 3/22/09 7:34 AM In reply to: ram by chickenorfishI believe Studio 15 comes with at least 4 GB, with options to have more. I am assuming in general 64 bits system performs better, but that obviously would depend on the software and hardware.
i dont think
by chickenorfish - 3/22/09 10:47 PM In reply to: 4GB by namsilat1i dont think theres that big of an advantage of 64 over 32 bit
Well
by FrankQC - 3/23/09 8:19 AM In reply to: i dont think by chickenorfish64 will be better if you have more than or equal to 4GB of RAM.
Theoretically 64-bit should be a lot faster than 32-bit. I think it'll be better for multitasking in 64-bit rather than 32-bit.
Some collected snippets
by rasmasyean - 4/14/09 8:19 PM In reply to: Vista 32 vs 64 bit by namsilat1Windows Vista 64-bit links and factoids
32-bit vs. 64-bit Vista comparison table…
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/06/04/differences-and-advantages-between-32-bit-x86-vs-64-bit-x64-windows-vista/
32-bit means it can only “see” 2^32 (2 to the 32nd power) = 4GB.
The computer has to be able to see the (usable)RAM + VRAM + other devices on Motherboard, etc.
e.g. If you have 1GB VRAM and “other devices” takes up 0.3GB, you will only be able to use a max of 2.7GB (4 - 1 - 0.3 = 2.7) RAM.
In this case, if you install 3GB RAM, you waste 0.3GB…if you install 4GB RAM you waste 1.3GB!
This one's a bit technical, but it describes some of the nitty-gritty of 64-bit technology.
http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2007/10/16/64-bit_more_than_just_the_ram/1
If this is any indication that 64-bit is the wave of the future and 32-bit will be “obsolete”…
(July 30, 2008) There appears to be a shift taking place in the PC industry: the move from 32-bit to 64-bit PCs.
We've been tracking the change by looking at the percentage of 64-bit PCs connecting to Windows Update, and have seen a dramatic increase in recent months. The installed base of 64-bit Windows Vista PCs, as a percentage of all Windows Vista systems, has more than tripled in the U.S. in the last three months, while worldwide adoption has more than doubled during the same period. Another view shows that 20% of new Windows Vista PCs in the U.S. connecting to Windows Update in June were 64-bit PCs, up from just 3% in March. Put more simply, usage of 64-bit Windows Vista is growing much more rapidly than 32-bit. Based on current trends, this growth will accelerate as the retail channel shifts to supplying a rapidly increasing assortment of 64-bit desktops and laptops… PC Accelerators built into Windows Vista, such as Windows SuperFetch, improve performance by keeping commonly used programs in memory, even when the program is closed. More memory capacity on 64-bit PCs allows SuperFetch to do its job more efficiently.
http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2008/07/30/windows-vista-64-bit-today.aspx
Understanding how SuperFetch uses RAM to enhance system performance…
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=735
Windows Vista - SuperFetch & ReadyBoost
http://blogs.technet.com/askperf/archive/2007/03/29/windows-vista-superfetch-readyboost.aspx
Considering this, SuperFetch is probably the most significant feature that distinguishes Vista from all other OS's for users of all walks. Many other features won't be noticeable or even used by the common person (unless you’re a developer using WPF/WFC like in North Face Kiosks etc., or use many DX10 software). So why not take advantage of it since RAM is so cheap?
For kicks, here’s a video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tKj_zscwNE
Consider that many workers like to have, say 20 windows open and do not shut down in order to save time in the morning (even Monday morning), they can now leave 40 windows (or more) open. Also, the more RAM they have, the more stuff can be SuperFetched and Auto Disk Defragmenter and whatever can run more efficiently in the background when AFK too.
For the above scenario, workers will probably “lock” Vista with the S3 sleep more because they can resume in 5 seconds anyway, or it will just auto-sleep after a period…translating to a huge savings on energy consumption.
All these are big bonuses from having a large amount of RAM (which is dirt cheap these days as well as cheaper going forward). Costs associated with driver/equipment upgrade for 64-bit compatibility may be more than made up for in productivity savings by having more RAM.
Gaming…
A January 2009 survey by Valve Corporation indicated that of the 33.26% of gamers running Windows Vista, 24.47% run 32-bit, 8.79% run 64-bit. 64-bit is over one third of the Vista install base.
http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/
Some interesting hardcore Vista 64-bit info:
...all 64-bit versions of Microsoft operating systems currently impose a 16 TB limit on address space and allow no more than 128 GB of physical memory due to the impracticality of having 16 TB of RAM. Processes created on Windows Vista x64 Edition are allotted 8 TB in virtual memory for user processes and 8 TB for kernel processes to create a virtual memory of 16 TB.
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5709
Some info on a popular title in 64-bit…
Adobe Photoshop® Extended and Acrobat® Pro natively support 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. Adobe Premiere® Pro, After Effects®, Soundbooth®, Encore®, and Adobe OnLocation™ are certified on 64-bit Windows Vista.
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/mastercollection/systemreqs/
Adobe CS4 is 64-bit only on Vista. OSX have to wait for CS5 or something like that when they catch up.
http://www.betanews.com/article/Adobe_CS4_will_be_64bit_but_only_on_Windows/1207258861
To put things in perspective, this is what 64-bit does...
What are the advantages of 64-bit computing?
In early testing of 64-bit support in Photoshop for Windows®, overall performance gains ranged from 8% to 12%. Those who work with extremely large files may realize noticeably greater gains in performance, in some cases as dramatic as ten times the previous speed. This is because 64-bit applications can address larger amounts of memory and thus result in less file swapping — one of the biggest factors that can affect data processing speed.
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/faq/?promoid=DRHXB
Vista Compatibility Wiki:
http://iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List
Recent trend info
by rasmasyean - 4/14/09 8:24 PM In reply to: Vista 32 vs 64 bit by namsilat1(March 28, 2009) Pudget Systems indicates trend of 64-bit orders overtaking 32-bit orders at an increasing rate.
http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/2009/03/22/os-trends-over-time-xp-vs-vista-32-bit-vs-64-bit/comment-page-1/#comment-2974
Re: Recent trend info
by Big Steve - 4/16/09 12:07 AM In reply to: Recent trend info by rasmasyeanI've been checking Dell's inventory in their Small Business Outlet Store, I'm looking at Vostro 220MT's and 420 towers but many of the systems with 2GB of memory sell out pretty fast. Systems listed as having 4GB of system memory are they automatically considered to be 64 bit systems or are there 32 bit systems which have 4GB of system memory?
Don't assume -- check
by FrankQC - 4/16/09 3:12 AM In reply to: Re: Recent trend info by Big SteveWhen you are looking at their computers in a retail store just rightclick My Computer, then Properties.
You will check next to System Type,which will tell you what the bit is (32 or 64 bit).
I think today's laptops come with 64-bit processors but come with 32-bit operating systems. You may always just upgrade to a 64-bit operating system (which should be compatible). The architecture is called x86-64 which is basically 32bit-64bit. I -might- be wrong but that's the general jist of it.. running other bit programs into 32-bit/64-bit. I know my HP Pavilion DV9834CA is like that.
Do some Google research on that
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
