XP Pro 64 or 32bit

[Slay]

I wan't to buy the 64bit version but I'm concerened about compatibility with all my other 32bit software. Microsoft knowledge base says it "should be fine" but I don't wan't any headeaches for my new system. Can anyone enlighten me on the subject a little more ?

[JIMINATOR]

Depends on "why" you want to use 64 bit, what benefits do you think you are going to get from it?

[Caged Anger]

I'm going to be upgrading to 64bit with my format tomorrow so i can upgrade past 4GB of ram eventually. Also I've foudn that all my parts have 64bit drivers available. I don't know why there would be program compatability issues as 64bit windows will run 32bit programs fine...

[Death Engineer]

It should work fine. I have several friends running XP 64-bit. I don't think there's much benefit there though unless you're doing some pretty compute heavy or memory intensive work (DSP, video, etc).

If you're worried about the 4GB limit, then you must be doing something out of the ordinary.

[Slay]

Depends on "why" you want to use 64 bit, what benefits do you think you are going to get from it?
Well 64bit is 2x faster for starters, I'm trying to get the most out of my new system as possible. I just wan't it to be FAST :D

[Slay]

I'm going to be upgrading to 64bit with my format tomorrow so i can upgrade past 4GB of ram eventually. Also I've foudn that all my parts have 64bit drivers available. I don't know why there would be program compatability issues as 64bit windows will run 32bit programs fine...
Yes, that is what Microsoft's knowledge base says,,,still :o I have read some of the problems some people are having with this issue, but not really going into their hardware specs.

[Slay]

32bit just because its guaranteed to find all the software u need. I had a friend once who had 64 and lots of games wouldnt work with 64bit
That's what I'm worried about. :(

[Slay]

It should work fine. I have several friends running XP 64-bit. I don't think there's much benefit there though unless you're doing some pretty compute heavy or memory intensive work (DSP, video, etc).

If you're worried about the 4GB limit, then you must be doing something out of the ordinary.
Well I just wan't to get the best/fastest I can. I don't wan't to get the 32bit and later find out I should have got the 64bit, since you can't upgrade to it. You either install 64bit the first time or deal with 32 foreverrrr. :)

[JIMINATOR]

Well 64bit is 2x faster for starters, I'm trying to get the most out of my new system as possible. I just wan't it to be FAST :D
sorry bud, you are going to be disappointed. 64 bit has nothing to do with speed, nothing at all. It has only to do with the amount of memory the computer can use ("address") and how it uses this memory. If you are going to install 8GB of ram then you can use additional memory, otherwise with 4GB you will not see a difference. It can make *some* programs run faster, programs that use a lot of memory for database access for example, but most will show no difference. Anyways good luck.

[Death Engineer]

Theoretically, if a program is optimized for 64-bit, it should access memory faster (64-bit bus). However, benchmarks say that in the real world, most applications are actually slower in a 64-bit environment.

The real advantage is for those that need to access large blocks of data on a continual basis (servers come to mind). In that case, there is a savings.

In general though, your desktop experience will not be faster on a 64-bit OS and typically it will be a tad slower.

[Slay]

sorry bud, you are going to be disappointed. 64 bit has nothing to do with speed, nothing at all. It has only to do with the amount of memory the computer can use ("address") and how it uses this memory. If you are going to install 8GB of ram then you can use additional memory, otherwise with 4GB you will not see a difference. It can make *some* programs run faster, programs that use a lot of memory for database access for example, but most will show no difference. Anyways good luck.
Yeah, I think the XP pro would probably be best anyway, just to early in the game and not enough support for the 64bit. Like you said, not enough speed difference to take the chance. 64bit does handle memory a lot better, and more of it but 4Gig is plenty.

Thank's guys for the tid-bits :thumbs:

[Caged Anger]

I've installed 64bit xp pro yesterday and so far so good, just a few hiccups with some legacy hardware

[Slay]

I've installed 64bit xp pro yesterday and so far so good, just a few hiccups with some legacy hardware
I hope it goes well for ya ! I just bought XP pro 32bit safe :rolleyes:

[Caged Anger]

kinda annoyed, microcrap has refused to make windows live services compatible with xp pro 64bit...wtf guys, this is your own freakin software!?

[Slay]

Hmm :hmmm: Wunder why :confused:

[Caged Anger]

ok, so after working with 64 bit winxp pro for over a week I've thrown in the towel. Not going to lie, it was pretty darn fast. However between the problems with some legacy hardware and program incompatabilities, I've once again reformated and gone back to 32 bit. Its a bit slower for some tasks but still 100x faster than my older components. Just thought I would let you know.

[Slay]

Thanks :thumbs:

[Slay]

Bmem.net is all thumbs down as far as I'm concerned :down: I got an email the 15th saying my software was shipped, called on the 21st to see if it had been shipped and they said they were backed up from the hollidays and it would be shipped that day and to expect it the 26/27th :loser: