XP 32-bit vs. 7 HP 64-bit?

SpecialKO · Nov 19, 2009

We don't really seem to have just one Windows 7 thread anymore, so I wasn't sure if I should just add this post to another thread.

MS' upgrade advisor program says my 3-4 year-old desktop with XP 32-bit can handle 7 just fine, and I was thinking about getting 7 HP 64-bit edition and another 2 GB of RAM, but I'm not sure how much benefit I would actually get from it.

I have a Dell XPS 400 with XP Home 32-bit edition on it and 2 GBs of RAM. According to various Dell support articles and the wiki pages for the CPU (Pentium D 2.8Ghz), the CPU and mobo should support 64-bit.

What I'm wondering though, even with a 64-bit OS and 2 more gigs of RAM, would the resources required for my admittedly increasingly-aged desktop to run windows 7 completely negate the performance benefits of a 64-bit OS using more RAM?

figmentPez · Nov 19, 2009

Considering that Netbooks are said to run Win7 just fine, I imagine your Pentium D will handle it with flying colors. Win7 only takes marginally more resources to run than WinXP.

That said, are you upgrading solely because you want 4GB of RAM, or are there features of Win7 that you're wanting?

SpecialKO · Nov 20, 2009

figmentPez said:
Considering that Netbooks are said to run Win7 just fine, I imagine your Pentium D will handle it with flying colors. Win7 only takes marginally more resources to run than WinXP.

That said, are you upgrading solely because you want 4GB of RAM, or are there features of Win7 that you're wanting?

The 64-bit thing (which I want for games and multi-tasking) is the big thing, but the new security improvements are supposed to be substantially, and honestly, I just like the interface much more.

I've got my Macbook dual-booted with Win7 RC. Even though I've heard a lot of bad stories about problems with digital river's student version of 7, if it's a full retail license, I might even get two copies, one for my Macbook's bootcamp, the other for my desktop.

figmentPez · Nov 20, 2009

TeKeo said:
The 64-bit thing (which I want for games and multi-tasking) is the big thing, but the new security improvements are supposed to be substantially, and honestly, I just like the interface much more.

If you're only going to have 4GB of RAM, the 64-bit thing isn't going to make a lot of difference, especially while most programs are still 32-bit. You could use 3.0-3.5GB of RAM in a 32-bit OS and the performance difference would be very close, if not identical to 4GB on 64-bit (which has slightly higher overhead, I'm told). Over 4GB, I'm not so sure about. I'm not sure how many games these days benefit from that much RAM, I just know I'm happy with my 4GB, so far.

The interface improvements over XP are worth it, if you ask me. I dual-boot 64-bit Vista and 32-bit XP (for Gametap and formerly for my Palm PDA) on my desktop and run XP on my Netbook, and I'm constantly wishing I had some of Vista's features almost every time I'm using XP. Win7 has even more to offer, I'm told.

Shakey · Nov 20, 2009

It should run fine. I didn't notice any loss of performance when I put 7 on my netbook, and it was running XP home. If you feel confident enough in doing the upgrade, go for it.

Bowielee · Nov 20, 2009

Well, first of all, you need to know if your processor is 64 bit compatible. Most in recent years are, so you should be fine, but it's something to check out.

Shakey · Nov 20, 2009

Pentium D's are 64 bit.

Chazwozel · Nov 20, 2009

Shakey said:
Pentium D's are 64 bit.

I think it depends on your mobo too. Mine maxes out at 2 gigs, so I got a copy of 32 bit.

Shakey · Nov 20, 2009

Chazwozel;303016][quote=Shakey said:
Pentium D's are 64 bit.

I think it depends on your mobo too. Mine maxes out at 2 gigs, so I got a copy of 32 bit.[/QUOTE]

The processor is 64 bit. Whether or not it can take 4 gig of memory does depend on the motherboard. Definitely check to see if your MB has room to add the extra memory. A quick look in the case should tell you if you have open spots, and check dells website to make sure it can take that much memory.

SpecialKO · Nov 20, 2009

Shakey;303032][quote=Chazwozel;303016][quote=Shakey said:
Pentium D's are 64 bit.

I think it depends on your mobo too. Mine maxes out at 2 gigs, so I got a copy of 32 bit.[/QUOTE]

The processor is 64 bit. Whether or not it can take 4 gig of memory does depend on the motherboard. Definitely check to see if your MB has room to add the extra memory. A quick look in the case should tell you if you have open spots, and check dells website to make sure it can take that much memory.[/QUOTE]

My mobo maxes out at 4GB. Since there's no price difference between 32 vs 64, if I'm upgrading to 7 anyway, 64 is probably the way to go.

I recently wiped and re-installed XP, so the only major programs I have on my machine at the moment are Office 2007, Norton, WoW, and Steam, none of which are particular known to have problems running in a 64-bit environment (WoW even supposedly gets a big performance boost due to the larger/improved RAM management).

Shakey · Nov 20, 2009

Make sure you do a reinstall of WoW instead of copying the folder over. They changed how the program installs with Vista and Win7. It splits it into two different directories now.

GasBandit · Nov 20, 2009

Honestly, if you're NOT going to use 4 or more megs of RAM, and you already have XP, there's not much reason to go through the hassle of upgrading. I still game on XP with 3 gigs of ram and it's beyond fine.

Necronic · Nov 20, 2009

what gas said. There is a good article on Toms hardware on the whole RAM issue:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264.html

Long and short of it is that 3-4 gigs is still the sweetspot, and more that that rarely shows a performance improvement.

SpecialKO · Nov 20, 2009

Necronic said:
what gas said. There is a good article on Toms hardware on the whole RAM issue:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264.html

Long and short of it is that 3-4 gigs is still the sweetspot, and more that that rarely shows a performance improvement.

In which case:

1) If I want to upgrade my machine to a full 4 GB of RAM (it currently has 2)
2) I like the improved interface of 7 and the other minor useability benefits it provides enough to get it regardless of version
3) My computer supports a 64-bit OS.
4) None of the 32-bit programs I currently use are known to have issues in a 64-bit environment (and some, like Excel and WoW, are thought to benefit from it)
5) I qualify for the student pricing

I really have no reason to not get the 64-bit version...

Necronic · Nov 20, 2009

you can have 4 gigs (technically 3.5) on a 32 bit system. But, if you like the 7 interface and don't plan on building a new system soon then go for it.