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General discussion

Vista 32-bit versus 64-bit on an Athlon 64 processor??

Jul 5, 2006 3:23AM PDT

I've installed the 32-bit version several times on an Averatec AV6240 laptop running the AMD Athlon 64 3000+ processor with 512MB of memory. It's a great laptop, although it is very slow (running Vista). I'll invest in a 1GB memory module at the end of the month, and I'm sure that will make Vista run quite a bit faster.

I would like some opinions on whether I should run the 64-bit version instead. Will I see a perceived performance increase? Has anyone else had any experience with Averatec laptops and Vista? Has anyone had any experience with 32-bit versus 64-bit Vista?

-Woody

PS - I'm also running the beta version of Office 2007, so far so good. I like Vista, and I'll like it even more when I add more memory.

Discussion is locked

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I didn't notice a difference...
Jul 5, 2006 3:49AM PDT

I've run both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions and didn't notice a difference in performance, so it's either small or non-existent. A noticable increase in performance will only be seen in software designed to utilize 64-bit computing, but such software is still limited in availability, especially for Vista. For the time being I'd go the 32-bit route since there's less of a compatibility issue and a smaller download.

Hope this helps,
John

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advantages of 32-bit version...
Jul 5, 2006 5:54AM PDT

Thanks for the swift response John! I agree that using the 32-bit version of Vista provides a higher degree of compatibility, and the install disk is a bit smaller. I downloaded the install disk images for both versions when they were available.

I was just wondering if the 64-bit kernel running on a 64-bit processor provided any performance improvements with respect to the GUI, file system, etc.

I might install the 64-bit version in a month or two so I can provide feedback, but I will not get in a hurry to do so if there is no significant performance improvement...

Thanks John!

-Woody Fairley

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vmware
Jul 6, 2006 5:16AM PDT

maybe you can run both in vmware workstation
side by side

you can do this on windows xp

so you still have vista but on top of a still widely supported operating system

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Dual Booting Vista X64 & Vista X86
Jul 9, 2006 5:53AM PDT

If you have a big enough hard drive you can make two or more partitions and run both, one in each partition. You can select which one you run at bootup time as a special screen will appear after both are installed at bootup to let you select.

I use my secondary hard drive to run Vista X64 and dual boot it with XP.

Right now the 64 bit version is a little harder to find device drivers for as they have to be 64 bit drivers.

Increasing ram, getting a fast large memory graphics card, installing a 10,000RPM Sata or Scusi hard drive, and using a large capacity flash memory (USB) drive (ready boost) are the quickest ways to boost performance in either Vista.

Just remember that either Vista is a beta program and has bugs. Don't depend on it for your everyday business.

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Make it 2GB
Jul 7, 2006 11:00PM PDT

Microsoft isn't kidding about 2GB RAM being recommended. The OS alone takes up about 700MB on my machine, which doesn't leave much for applications and HD buffering.

Try to find Build 5456 (or later, when available). It's a little less buggy than Beta 2.

Biggest annoyance: no SB Audigy drivers. Wake up Creative!

64-bit Vista has a bit less driver support than 32-bit but if you're not going to run 64-bit then there's hardly any point in Vista. Don't plan on making either version your primary OS until at least RC1 and probably not until Vista goes gold. Right now it's just something to play with and for developers to test against.

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32-bit vs 64 bit
Jul 8, 2006 1:12AM PDT

You could speed up your system by going with the 64-bit version. Addressing of storage and the set of registers you have to work with are greatly increased by using a 64-bit OS. My son has an AMD64 desktop and when he changed from 32-bit XP to 64-bit XP, he experienced a significant increase in speed with no hardware changes. For example, Autocad went from a 2+ minute startup to a <30 second startup. The motion control on Autocad and on the Sims (game) both were phenomenally faster. When we subsequently added memory, we did not experience anywhere near the significant increase in spead as we experienced when he upgraded to XP 64. My guess would be that Vista will have similar results.

The primary downside to 64-bit Windows (XP or Vista) will be a lack of driver support for oddball peripherals. We have a DLink 1 port printer server and they do not support Win 64. No driver, no printer. So he has to stage his print on his 32-bit laptop in order to print things. Thank goodness we have a NAS on our home network, otherwise it would be a royal pain.

jwt

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Vista64 vs XP64
Jul 8, 2006 10:12AM PDT

I have been using XP64 and have been very satisfied. I think it is a little more responsive than 32 bit, 2 Meg ram does make a big difference.

I have also tried Vista 64 and 32 bit, with mixed results. Many 64 and 32 bit programs that run great in XP are not supported by Vista. Drivers are a little scarce, some are still very crude. That includes 32 bit support also. I have a feeling it is one of the reasons MS delayed Vista's release. Developer support and even support from MS is somewhat lacking.

Example; MS Intellipoint 5.5 mouse driver, 64 bit works with a little coaxing, I could not get the 32 bit version to load at all. Nice job MS!! But that is the way it is, that is why it is called Beta. Maybe next year.

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Excellent advice! Thanks to all of the contributors!
Jul 10, 2006 11:02PM PDT

I'll be picking up more memory this weekend. I added a 1GB compact flash memory card as the "ready boost" and it made a noticeable improvement in performance, though the DVD still does not play movies. The good news is that I can buy two 1GB SODIMM's for the 6240 and use the 512MB SODIMM in my Averatec AV3225H to bump it up to it's maximum capacity.

I'll wait another month before installing Vista 64-bit, so I can watch to see if any more 32-bit drivers become available, and I have a lot of traveling planned this month. Plus, it was a lot of trouble to install Vista this last time, since I was experimenting with XP drivers to see if some of the Averatec 6240's accessories would work (they don't).

The good news is that I experimented with the machine in my recording studio this weekend, and produced a very nice-sounding soundtrack "button" on Vista using Audacity (open source audio recording app). The "Ready-boost" made a tremendous improvement in performance, and the song sounds better than I expected.

The more I use Vista and Office 2007 Beta, the more I like them.

-Woody Fairley

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curious
Mar 6, 2007 10:31AM PST

my girlfriend just bought vista home premium 32 bit and she has a dell 1405 with a core duo (not core 2 duo) it is a 64 bit processor, and a gig of ram. should i push her to try and get the 64 bit vista? will there be any draw backs as far as games go? meaning, could she still play a 32 bit game? any other issues with 32 bit software exist?

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64-bit support is still lacking...
Mar 6, 2007 11:41AM PST

Personally, I wouldn't push her into anything since support for 64-bit Windows is still tailing that for 32-bit versions, even when it comes to Vista. Chances are there will be at least one driver she won't be able to find and she'll have to upgrade (or repurchase!) her internet security software. Since there is little benefit to owning 64-bit Vista unless you run optimized 64-bit software, I'd just let it be...she's better off sticking with what she has for now.

John

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Why use Vista over XP x64?
Oct 26, 2007 11:24AM PDT

No DRM problems...no program bloat...nice and stable XP x64 is the unsung hero of Microsoft