new computer vista 32 or 64 bit

[tom]

am buying a new computer what version of vista should I buy 32 bit or 64
bit I herd that 32 ulitamet is the best way to go but 64 bit would be better
so I am confused the price is no differnt

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

am buying a new computer what version of vista should I buy 32 bit or 64
bit I herd that 32 ulitamet is the best way to go but 64 bit would be
better
so I am confused the price is no differnt

Much depends on whether there are drivers for all of the internal and
external devices. Generally speaking, internals have no problems, but if you
have an aging scanner, printer, webcam or whatever, you may have to use
32bit Vista or replace the external devices for which there are no 64bit
drivers..


--
Mike Hall - MVP
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[Tim Slattery]

am buying a new computer what version of vista should I buy 32 bit or 64
bit I herd that 32 ulitamet is the best way to go but 64 bit would be better
so I am confused the price is no differnt

I assume that your OS will be preinstalled on your new computer, so
that should make the issue of drivers moot.

The 64-bit version can handle huge amounts of RAM, so if you're going
to be running LOTS of things simultaneously or doing video editing or
some other extremely RAM-intensive process, the 64-bit version would
help.

I understand that there are a few 32-bit programs - I think some folks
here have mentioned some games - that don't work properly in the
64-bit OS. It would be a good idea to make sure that anything you
REALLY want to run will work in the 64-bit system before investing in
it. Oh yeah, 64-bit Vista won't run 16-bit programs at all, so if
you're still using any of them, you have to leave them behind.

 

[dave griffiths]

I'll start by saying I'm using Vista 64 Premium.

Are you going to be connecting (older) hardware (printer, wireless
keyboard, mouse, etc) that
isn't supported with 64 bit drivers? Check the websites of your
manufacturers and see if
Vista 64 drivers are available.

How much RAM will you be using? 32 bit OS is limited to 4 GB, 64 bit
will accept much more.

There aren't many software applications that require 64 bit. Vista 64
will run 32 bit applications.
I haven't had any problems running a variety of programs such as
Photoshop, Nero, and games.

It comes down to preference, but consider the availability of 64 bit
drivers for your
peripherals and the amount of memory you want to install.

Fitz

I am on Vista Home Premium. 64 bit and wouldn't swap back now.

I can only stress, like the others have; make sure all your equipment
can run in 64bit.
Make sure your programs you use all the time can run in 64bit.

this site as helped me a lot find alternative programs,if I come up a
problem.
http://www.start64.com/

If your're satisfied everything will work go for it. I believe 64bit
will be standard soon anyway.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

am buying a new computer what version of vista should I buy 32 bit or 64
bit I herd that 32 ulitamet is the best way to go but 64 bit would be better
so I am confused the price is no differnt

Several points:

1. 32-bit Vista is limited to seeing and using somewhere around 3.1GB
of RAM, depending on what hardware you have. 64-bit versions can use
much more. Depending on what applications you run, that may or may not
be important to you, but for most people's applications, 3.1GB is more
than sufficient.

2. 64-bit Vista will run faster than 32-bit *if* you run 64-bit
applications. Since very few 64-bit applications exist yet, most
people see little or no performance benefit.

3. More and more 64-bit versions of applications will be coming out in
the near future, so having a 64-bit operating system can be a good
plan.

4. If you run 64-bit Vista, you will need 64-bit drivers for all your
hardware. If you plan to use existing printers, scanners, etc., you
may find that 64-bit drivers for what you have don't exist, and you
would need to replace those devices.

 

[tom]

thank all of you I guess I will go for the 64bit since I dont plan on
getting a nother computer for along time after I get this one

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

thank all of you I guess I will go for the 64bit since I dont plan on
getting a nother computer for along time after I get this one

You're welcome. Glad to help.

 

[Ian D]

am buying a new computer what version of vista should I buy 32 bit or 64
bit I herd that 32 ulitamet is the best way to go but 64 bit would be
better
so I am confused the price is no differnt

If the computer is being delivered with a choice of 32 or 64 bit
Vista installed, it is the builder's responsibility to have all the
proper drivers installed for either OS. If you look at systems
from OEMs such as Acer, Dell, HP, Compaq, etc, you will
notice that they are increasingly being delivered with 64 bit
Vista installed. This includes laptops. In another year or so,
except for low end PCs, 64 bit Vista and 4GB of RAM will
probably be the norm. This will continue with 64 bit Windows
7, which is really just Vista with some changes under the hood.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

If the computer is being delivered with a choice of 32 or 64 bit
Vista installed, it is the builder's responsibility to have all the
proper drivers installed for either OS.

That's true with respect to the hardware that's part of the computer.
But it's not true with respect to peripherals such as printers and
scanners that the purchaser may already own and want to use.