Vista 32/64

[stymie222]

I am about to order a Vista Home Premium upgrade for my present XP 32 bit OS.

My CPU/ Motherboard will handle 64 Bit but I have all 32 Bit games, programs, Etc.

Not really familiar with 64, and its advantages, but when ordering the new OS, should I order the 64, and will that run 32 ?

Do I have to stay with 32 since my XP is 32

I don't want to upgrade again when more 64 Bit stuff comes down the line.


Intel D975XBX MB
Intel EX ED 955 3.46 G CPU
Crucial Ballistix 2GB DDR2 Ram

[EzyStvy]

Currently and for the next several years, the Only advantage of 64bit OS is the ability to install and use more then 4 gigs of ram.

And yes, most all of your applications will run on 64bit.

[kilgoretrout]

If you are into gaming, you are better off staying with XP; gamers invariably complain about vista and the reduced game performance in vista compared to XP is well documented. There are also compatibility issues reported with some games and XP, usually related to some of the substandard graphics drivers currently available on vista. For the other programs you want to run other than games, check for compatibility issues on vista for each one that's important to you. You may have to repurchase a vista version of some software that you already have if you upgrade.

Unless you have some compelling need for a certain vista only capability, "upgrading" to vista is not a good idea. Most people are waiting for Windows 7 which is due to be released sometime in 2010.

[stymie222]

Thanks for all your help. I don't need any more problems

[strjms72]

Regular XP will show between 3-4 gigs of RAM...depending on your hardware, video card, various other factors...if you put 4 gigs in the system. Usually somewhere between 3.2 and 3.6 gig will show in system properties.

64 bit can show the full 4..(and more if you put that in)..but some people have some compatibility issues with it with some software and hardware. So check ahead with what you have, and what games you play.

With that honkin system you're building...might consider Vista 64 with 4 or 8 gigs. The 64 version seems to have better support and less compatibility issues than XP 64.