Vista 32 bit or 64 bit?

[Trevor]

I am currentlu running Vista Ultimate SP1 with 4GB of RAM with Intel Q6600
quad CPU. I have read that the 32 bit version (which I'm running) can only
see about 3GB although it reports 4GB.

Is there any reason why I should not consider moving to the 64 bit version?
If not does your MB make a difference as I use a Gigabyte GA-EP35C-DS3R
mobo.

TIA

Trevor

 

[ICQM Houston]

all RAM mfrs advise their customers to use only 3 GB on vista 32 although
microsoft said it can support up to 4GB.
both your hardware (MB) and software (OS) must haev support of
4GB or higher - vista 64 can support higher than 4GB - your MB must
likewise support 4GB or higher.

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

all RAM mfrs advise their customers to use only 3 GB on vista 32 although
microsoft said it can support up to 4GB.
both your hardware (MB) and software (OS) must haev support of
4GB or higher - vista 64 can support higher than 4GB - your MB must
likewise support 4GB or higher.

32bit operating systems can ADDRESS 4gb..

--
Mike Hall - MVP
How to construct a good post..
http://dts-l.com/goodpost.htm
How to use the Microsoft Product Support Newsgroups..
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=newswhelp&style=toc
Mike's Window - My Blog..
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx

 

[Ian D]

I am currentlu running Vista Ultimate SP1 with 4GB of RAM with Intel Q6600
quad CPU. I have read that the 32 bit version (which I'm running) can only
see about 3GB although it reports 4GB.

Is there any reason why I should not consider moving to the 64 bit
version? If not does your MB make a difference as I use a Gigabyte
GA-EP35C-DS3R mobo.

TIA

Trevor

Just make sure you have Vista 64 bit drivers for all your hardware and go
for it. The P35 chipset is fully compatible. Some have reported problems
installing 64 with 4 GB RAM on board, but they may have non-Intel
chipsets. I had no problems with 4 GB RAM and my Intel P965 chipset.
After you have a successful install, enable the memory remapping in
your BIOS to access the full 4 GB. Also, hold off on activation to make sure
everything is stable before you commit. I have found 64 bit Ultimate to be
snappier than 32 bit, and at least on a par with XP Pro. If you ever want to
run old 16 bit DOS programs, Dosbox works great with Ultimate 64.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I am currentlu running Vista Ultimate SP1 with 4GB of RAM with Intel Q6600
quad CPU. I have read that the 32 bit version (which I'm running) can only
see about 3GB ...

Yes. All 32-bit versions of Windows (not just Vista) have a 4GB
address space. That's the theoretical upper limit beyond which you can
not go.

But you can't use the entire 4GB of address space. Even though you
have a 4GB address space, you can only use *around* 3.1GB of RAM.
That's because some of that space is used by hardware and not
available to the operating system and applications. The amount you can
use varies, depending on what hardware you have installed, but is
usually around 3.1GB.

Note that the hardware is using the address *space*, not the actual
RAM itself. The rest of the RAM goes unused because there is no
address space to map it too.

... although it reports 4GB.

Yes, since SP1. I think this was a very poor change, since people are
not misled into believing that Vista is seeing and using all 4GB,
where in reality it's the same amount it always was--around 3.1GB.

Is there any reason why I should not consider moving to the 64 bit version?

Yes.

1. There may not be 64-bit drivers available for all your hardware, so
you might need to replace your printer, scanner, etc

2. A 64-bit operating system is faster than a 32-bit one if you also
run 64-bit applications. With 32-bit applications, you will probably
notice little or no difference in speed.

Why do thing you need more RAM than 3GB? How much RAM you need for
good performance is *not* a one-size-fits-all situation. You get good
performance if the amount of RAM you have keeps you from using the
page file, and that depends on what apps you run. Most people running
a typical range of business applications under Vista find that
somewhere around 2GB works well, although for others 3GB might be
better. Unless you are doing things like editing large photographic
images or videos, you will probably see no benefit by having access to
more than 3GB.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
nothing for you.