Vista 32 vs 64 bit

[GiggsBeckham11]

Could anyone elaborate a little on the difference between the 32 and 64 bit version of Vista and how it would relate to gaming performance?

[rabb1t]

64-bit is better. There are entire articles devoted as to why it is better.

Honestly they probably shouldn't have even made a 32-bit version of Vista, as everything is rapidly moving to, or already is, 64-bit based.

[Adebisi]

64-bit is better. There are entire articles devoted as to why it is better.

Honestly they probably shouldn't have even made a 32-bit version of Vista, as everything is rapidly moving to, or already is, 64-bit based.

I agree!!

Why did they even bother with 32bit Vista? It is long past time when the PC world moved to a 64bit standard. Just about everyone running Vista owns a 64bit proc anyway.

But no, we have to have a 32bit and a 64. On top of that, we have to feature the 32bit in staples and bestbuy and keep the 64bit hidden on the bottom shelves where people won't even notice it or buy it, thus ensuring that, once again, the 64bit aftermarket support for our hardware and software is going to be an afterthought like it is for XP64bit users.

Now we are stuck with another 32bit standard for the next 5 to 7 years?

And don't even get me started on the brilliant idea to make the current, buggy, poorly implemented DRM thoroughly integrated into every single nook and cranny of this OS, bogging it down, hogging up memory, all for the sake of bringing us LESS functionality when we should be demanding more functionality. It baffles the mind. Even Bill Gates himself said nobody is doing a good job of DRM right now. And here it is, clogging up every aspect of Vista.

[GiggsBeckham11]

Ok, so maybe I should go 64 bit...how much RAM would I need? I currently have 2 gigs of RAM...

[Mirabel]

Ok, so maybe I should go 64 bit...how much RAM would I need? I currently have 2 gigs of RAM...

Why do you want to switch over at all? The most notable change will be that you have to use unfinished drivers (even the Vista x64 nVidia driver is bugged), a lot of sound cards, scanners and cameras won't work anymore, and the biggest problem:

Vista takes at least 600 MB of RAM.

Compare that to your current OS memory usage. But well, you're going 64 bit, so you'll probably get 4 GB+, anyway.

[rabb1t]

Right now there is absolutely no reason to switch to Vista. I'd highly recommend you only move to it when a game comes out that actually needs DirectX 10 and you have a DirectX 10 enabled GPU.

How much ram do you need? Well, it would be ill-advised to have less than about 1.5 gig. Do you need 4? Probably not. Games won't use more than 2 for quite some time, so more than 2 really won't be used for a few years.

Again, I recommend holding off on Vista unless you absolutely need it. (And for gamers that need won't come until the first DX10 coded game launches.)