Windows Vista 32 or 64 bit for Pentium 4 640

[Biotech_abx]

Hi everyone,

I am planing on upgrading my computer to vista home premium and was wondering if I should install the 32 or 64 bit upgrade version here is my system:

Motherboard: Intel 915pbl
Processor: Pentium 4 640 (EM64T)
Video: Sapphire 3870
Ram: 2X512gb & 2x1gb
Sound: Onboard

I know my processor as some sort of 64 bit capability but still wondering if going with a 64 bit version of vista would be worth it?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Biotech

[zman88]

64 bit IMO, and although 3 gig isn't too bad, I would use atleast 4gig of memory.

[SRTDodge05]

Really isnt a need to go 64bit i would just stay with 32bit.

[zman88]

I guess I would have to agree after thinking about it more. You already have the right amount of ram for 32 bit and on that machine you won't notice any real difference. Besides that, the drivers will be a little easier to get.

[S.SubZero]

^^ I found Vista 64 drivers for the 915pbl including the audio. ATI also fully supports 64-bit Vista. In fact, Vista 64-bit drivers are in decent supply these days. It has a little to do with MS only certifying drivers for Vista if both 32 and 64-bit drivers are supplied. Wow! So get out of 2006, please.

Originally Posted by SRTDodge05

Really isnt a need to go 64bit i would just stay with 32bit.

If it came down to need, nobody would use Vista, since there's no need to. Actually, we'd all be plodding along happily in DOS with our Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets on our 1981 IBM PCs. Color? Who needs that?!

Sometimes we don't know what we really need until we have it. I've been on solely 64-bit OS's for just over 16 months now, and I have no intention of looking back. To me, 32-bit OS's are for screwing around with in virtual machines, along with other relics like OS/2 and BeOS.

I recommend to anyone that *can* use a 64-bit OS to try it. If a specific app you have doesn't like it, throw it in a virtual machine. There's no point being held back because some app last updated in 1987 doesn't like your OS.

[Underwater Mike]

I just upgraded to 64 Ultimate last week and am having driver issues. If you're not pushing past 3.5G, do yourself a favor and stay with the 32-bit version.

[S.SubZero]

What driver issues are you having?

[Underwater Mike]

The Intel RAID driver is giving me occasional BSODs. Outlook 2003 is having troubles connecting to my Exchange server (see here), and I suspect that is driver-related as well. Last, I can't get my HP inkjet working, although HP says that support for that should be native in Vista itself.

[3 of 7]

We've moved to Vista 64 bit (Ultimate) on 4 of the boxes here and the only issue is COD4 just simply refuses to run on one of them. It has an ATI 1650 and there isn't an Omega driver for it yet and I suspect that's whats causing it.

[S.SubZero]

Originally Posted by Underwater Mike

The Intel RAID driver is giving me occasional BSODs. Outlook 2003 is having troubles connecting to my Exchange server (see here), and I suspect that is driver-related as well. Last, I can't get my HP inkjet working, although HP says that support for that should be native in Vista itself.

The Flying Nerd » Intel RAID problem under Windows Vista (?)

I googled for the Vista/Outlook 2003 problem, but the only person I found having it was you.

I don't see any particular references to non-working printer drivers either. We use some HP printers on a Vista print server at work and they have no problems.

[Underwater Mike]

Hehehe, I saw this yesterday. I need to update my sig with my new machine spex, but I'm using the DFI LT X38-TR2 (ICH9R controller). I just found an updated Intel driver this morning and am testing that for a few days -- it's the 7.8 version linked off the Intel page. I hope it works, because rebuilding these arrays multiple times a day is a nightmare. (Interestingly, 7.5 is listed as most current on the DFI site. Go figure.)

Originally Posted by S.SubZero

The Flying Nerd » Intel RAID problem under Windows Vista (?)

I googled for the Vista/Outlook 2003 problem, but the only person I found having it was you.

I don't see any particular references to non-working printer drivers either. We use some HP printers on a Vista print server at work and they have no problems.

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by Underwater Mike

Hehehe, I saw this yesterday. I need to update my sig with my new machine spex, but I'm using the DFI LT X38-TR2 (ICH9R controller). I just found an updated Intel driver this morning and am testing that for a few days -- it's the 7.8 version linked off the Intel page. ...

Doesn't DFI offer a version of the Intel driver that they recommend for use with the board on their site? I dont know if you can just install the latest version from Intel without risking issues if it hasnt been QA'd by DFI, same for all board manufacturers.

[Underwater Mike]

Hmmmm, interesting. I'd never heard of that, honestly -- always used the most current drivers. That said, the previous version was straight off DFI's site, and seems like it gave me MORE trouble than the one from Intel!

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

Doesn't DFI offer a version of the Intel driver that they recommend for use with the board on their site? I dont know if you can just install the latest version from Intel without risking issues if it hasnt been QA'd by DFI, same for all board manufacturers.

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by Underwater Mike

Hmmmm, interesting. I'd never heard of that, honestly -- always used the most current drivers. That said, the previous version was straight off DFI's site, and seems like it gave me MORE trouble than the one from Intel!

heh, could be that their version was based on a very old Intel version which had bugs that were resolved in the later version you were using. So maybe its six of one and half a dozen of the other as to which you go with...

[sorrow]

Something to consider too, is that Windows will ship you a 64bit dvd if you purchase the 32bit dvd... or did they stop diong that? I got mine that way.