BleepingComputer.com: The Difference Between 32 Bit Vista, and 64 Bit Vista

Hey there- i'm going computer shopping at the time being. And i'm sort of wondering what the difference between 64 and 32 bit editions. I know that a 64 can hold 4GB RAM + while 32 goes up to 3.3.

I'm also wondering about the compatibility. Will a 64 Bit version work on a 32 with 3GB RAM? Since I do expect to upgrade if I get the chance.

Thank you all in advance.

Edit: Is there a way to get 64 Bit without actually buying the disk?

This post has been edited by Swordie: 08 March 2009 - 10:04 AM

You would need to have a 64 bit processor to take advantage of the 64 bit version of windows. You would also have to check and make sure your hardware has 64 bit drivers available. If your question abt getting 64 without the disk you mean upgrading... then no it needs a total fresh install.

Oh okay. Is there a place to check if your Processor is 64 bit vista capable?

Swordie, on Mar 8 2009, 04:28 PM, said:

You can download SIW and it will tell you or just right click on My Computer and it should show there.

GTK48, on Mar 8 2009, 05:05 PM, said:

This may sound stupid, but what is SIW?

And I did the right click My Computer- Did nothing.

http://www.gtopala.com/
SIW is an System Information for Windows program (Asset Inventory Tracking, Software and Hardware Inventory, PC Audit, Software License Compliance) SIW is a standalone utility that does not require installation (Portable Freeware) - one less installed program on your PC as well the fact that you can run the program directly from an USB flash drive, from a floppy, from a network drive or from a domain login script.


Once you have downloaded the SIW program, open and in the sidebar scroll down to the hardware heading and beneath that will be "CPU". Double click on it to activate the report. The first line should look something like this:
Number of CPU(s) One Physical Processor / One Core / One Logical Processor / 32 bits

Swordie, on Mar 9 2009, 09:20 AM, said:

Really? (If you're running Vista already it's just Computer.) You should get a context menu including Properties.

There's little value running a 64bit OS with 3GB of RAM - it will work fine on a 64bit capable processor, but it uses a little more memory space for itself anyway and you're not getting the main advantage of access to large amounts of memory (4G+)

This post has been edited by Platypus: 08 March 2009 - 06:15 PM

Well, my SIW said that I am 64 bit, I have duo core too ^^. I found this really good deal, it's an Athlon 4450e x2 processor. Anyone know if it is 64?

According to the info in this link-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103256
it has 64 bit support.