32bit (x86) vs 64bit (x64)

[SephYuyX]

One of the more split debates years ago was the advantages and disadvantages of moving to 64bit from 32bit, however that debate is still fairly prevalent today.

After seeing the info about Windows 8 possibly having 128bit support, and with Windows 7 coming out to retail very soon, it seems appropriate to bring this up.

While 128bit seems completely unnecessary at the moment, im sure it will be needed in the future, and on the same token, is 64bit even needed right now? For the general public theres no real need for it, but once you start moving into the business world you can make many arguments for having it.

With Windows 7 coming out, there are a lot of people who will be building new PCs, and im sure a lot are wondering, "Should I go 64bit? Or stay at 32bit?"

And thats my question to you, which will you be using? Which are you using now? And why are you using said version? Why do you think 32bit is better than 64bit? Why do you think 64bit is better than 32bit?

[Blabj]

My hardware supports it so I might as well use x64.

[Blubbartron]

I actually do chew through a lot of my memory, so being able to access over 3.5 gigs of memory is nice.

[xopher]

More and more applications will be compatible with 64 bit processing as time goes by. Windows itself running in x64 is faster as well.

There's really no reason not to move anymore since drivers were the issue with xp 64. Now 64 bit drivers are readily available.

[Minions]

Well well, not completely one sided so far now are we?

[Tomasello]

The bottom line is you can't use more the 4 GB of memory without 64 bit so why would you want to handicap yourself as technology improves exponentially?

32 bit is going the way of the dinosaur so sooner or later your going to have to upgrade anyway.

[Solefald]

Are there even any 32-bit processors still being sold? Maybe the low-power netbook CPUs, I don't know.

64-bit apps are slightly faster than 32-bit ones but they also take up slightly more memory and storage space because of the longer addresses.

64-bit is also much more secure because of the no-execute bit feature.

There's no real reason not to move to 64-bit in your next upgrade.

[Senoska]

If you have any intention of keeping up to the standard you will need x64. You're limited to 4gb on 32bit which is just about the industry standard for any off-the-market pc. In a year, expect it to be more.

[Pikarya]

Only reason why I'm stuck on 32 is due to performance perks I get with legacy software =/ I'd love to take full advantage of what I got if I could on a regular basis.

[Epical]

Definitely 64-bit. Even if you were to buy a cheapo computer from a retail store, it's going to come with at least 3GB of RAM, and should you EVER upgrade the RAM in its lifetime, you'll need to jump to a 64-bit OS. On the other end, if you're an enthusiast, you've been at or over 4GB of RAM for a while now, and have no choice really. I don't see why you would stay on 32-bit... you're only holding yourself back!

EDIT: Oh, and if people play the driver card, the companies already know what I've just said and have or are developing full 64-bit support for their stuff. A year (or less) from now it should be as easy to get support for something 64-bit as it is 32-bit.

[kuronosan]

I'm definitely moving up to 64 bit after windows 7. If I need to use my 32-bit apps in the meantime, I have 32-bit XP installed.

[Cephius]

64 bit is the future. Give it 5 years, all operating systems will be 64 bit. 4 gigabytes of RAM is quickly becoming the standard.

[viperlasson]

64bit baby. Don't be holding the industry back with 32bit, let it die!

[Bockage]

Am I correct to assume all versions of Windows 7 are coming with 32 and 64 bit versions? I ordered the professional upgrade for 99$ months ago and if it has both versions I'll definately be trying out 64 bit.

[Mayareira]

64-bit version of Vista on my MBP is the most stable/overall best Windows I've used in recent years. If your CPU is compatible, 64-bit all the way.

[revelat10n]

While 64bit seems the way to go nowadays for reasons already stated, I currently have a 64bit OS (Win7pro) and a 32bit OS (Vista Business) on my box. The reason for the 32bit OS is for Aion and FFXI. Aion crashes consistently for me in Win7pro 64bit and Vista 64bit. Runs just peachy in Vista 32bit. FFXI's hook for Win7 is just too unstable for me to use and has BSOD'd my box quite a number of times. Not to mention that it's not really dualbox friendly.

[fishstix]

I dualbox perfectly fine on win7 x64, both windows can keep an average 29.4 fps as long as it's not a crowded area. I'm a casual user and really see no obvious benefit or performance increase in using either version, so I just stick with the 64bit pretty much because I can >.>

[The Stig]

I quite like 64bit, the only time I had an issue was last week when my system hanged, I found out the reason was because my virtual WinXP software (Virtual Box) decided to ....... request 12.4gb virtual memory. That was according to the logs, and no that is not a typo, I copy-pasted the string into some byte > gigabyte calculator (it was too long for me to "handle"). Needless to say, the system fell over as it tried to generate such space, I just ended up forcing it to shutdown.

After a reboot and starting WinXP again, it's been fine now for a few days. Probably a one off glitch.

[Ghostsix.Midgard]

been using x64 win 7 for about a week now and have been able to run everything my x86 XP box used to run.. Havent run into any driver issues yet.

Loving it atm. 8GB ram~

[Olo401]

64-bit version of Vista on my MBP is the most stable/overall best Windows I've used in recent years. If your CPU is compatible, 64-bit all the way.

I have to agree with this. I hated Windows for YEARS because it was a shitty 16-bit GUI shell of a 32-bit OS. XP's relative stability once it was cleaned up in SP2 was manageable. But the upgrade from there to Vista 64 was probably the best move I ever made. The thing runs solid as a rock, and this last service pack made it run even better.