Windows 7, 32bit on 64bit computer

Martynt74

Martynt74

Martynt74

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Are there any issues with mixing different versions of Windows and processors or is it just a case of not utilising some capabilities of the hardware?
 
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iDroid has summarised all the main points, these days its probably best to go with 64 bit OS rather than 32 bit.
 
Any one using a 32Bit O/S on a modern system is crippling it's potential for no gain what so ever. Put 64-Bit on there and forget about it.
 
SparkyG said:
The only downside I have found to 64bit OS is driver avialability but this is becoming less of a problem as things move on :)
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This has not been a problem for years, except in the case of really old hardware or crappy manufacturer support. In either case you should do yourself a favour and upgrade anyway!
 
SparkyG said:
The only downside I have found to 64bit OS is driver avialability but this is becoming less of a problem as things move on :)
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Since Windows Vista every driver submitted by hardware manufactures has required to be in both 32bit and 64bit flavours otherwise they wouldn't be signed by Microsoft. 64-bit driver issues are a thing of the past :).
 
iDroid84 said:
Depends if 64 bit is needed. Unless your running top hardware there's no need as running 32 bit is enough.
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You do get some additional benefits out of 64-bit other than the address space increase, for example some kernel security features are 64-bit only. There's no reason not to.
 
Security
Features such as Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and PatchGuard improve security by helping to prevent malicious code from executing on a server.

Reliability
Based on the same code base as Windows 32-bit editions, the Windows x64 editions offer the time-tested reliability of the Windows Server platform while providing a platform for both your new, high-performance native x64 applications and the legacy 32-bit applications that are still critical today.

No Price Premium for x64 Performance
The vast majority of new servers sold today contain x64 processors—only a few are available with 32-bit processors. Windows Server x64 editions are priced and licensed identically to their 32-bit counterparts. The best way to take full advantage of your new server hardware—at no additional cost—is to deploy servers with Windows Server x64 editions.

Technical Benefits
Compatibility
Unlike other 64-bit platforms, such as those based on Intel’s Itanium architecture, x64 systems can run 32-bit applications without emulation, resulting in comparable performance on 32-bit and 64-bit systems. This key benefit allows you to transition to x64 applications at a pace that makes sense for your own organization.

Access More Physical Memory
Native x64 applications, combined with Windows Server x64 editions and suitable server hardware can access up to 2 terabytes (TB) of physical RAM, empowering today’s most demanding server applications.

Relieve Virtual Address Limitations
On 32-bit systems, connection-oriented applications require the operating system kernel to utilize a portion of its 2-gigabyte (GB) memory space. As applications such as terminal server scale to support more users, this memory allocation can become a bottleneck regardless of the system’s physical RAM capacity. Windows x64 editions provide an 8-TB virtual address space for the kernel, and for each process on the system.

Improved Performance
While 32-bit applications perform similarly on Windows Server 32-bit editions and Windows x64 editions, native x64 applications can see significant performance improvements, particularly for computationally intensive applications.

Data Execution Prevention
Windows x64 can help prevent buffer overflow exploits with Data Execution Prevention. Whether via software or the hardware support of AMD and Intel processors, memory that is used for data can be marked as data, preventing it from being treated as executable code, thus helping to prevent such exploits.

PatchGuard
Windows x64 editions support PatchGuard technology, which prevents third-party programs from patching the Windows kernel. This can help improve security by helping to eliminate rootkits and other potentially damaging software.
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Still get some applications not wrote in 64 bit so would need to use the 32 bit anyway. I think for the likes of the heavy applications design/music production e.t.c 64 bit is good but for general day to day activities it's just not needed. Especially for businesses there still is problems with apps/drivers on the odd occasions. (I know were not talking about businesses but on a general basis)
 
If you have 4GB or more of Ram, then get the 64bit. But, if you have less than 4GB, then use the 32bit version, you won't see any difference using the 64bit with less than 4GB of ram.:D
 
Cheers guys, i've only just upgraded an old p4 pc to an X2 5200, i've got a copy of the 32bit version so wondered if it would cause any problems.

The pc won't be used much so seems pointless spending to get the 64bit version
 
Meatball said:
Since Windows Vista every driver submitted by hardware manufactures has required to be in both 32bit and 64bit flavours otherwise they wouldn't be signed by Microsoft. 64-bit driver issues are a thing of the past :).
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Yup

An excellent move by Microsoft
 
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