32 bit or 64 bit on laptop

[porsche6714]

Hello im wondering if it would be wise to upgrade to windows 7 64 bit over 32 bit. I have Vista 32bit on hp laptop with 4gb of ram and a core 2 duo T8300 processor. I can get either version for like 8 bucks through school so my last decision to make before i buy is 64 or 32 bit. According to hp's driver support site i can get basically every driver i need in 64 bit so that wouldn't be an issue. Ive heard that the 64 bit version isnt as useful with just 4gb of ram and that it could be slower and use more battery life than a 32 bit OS. Any suggestions?

 

[rodney_ws]

Any intentions of upgrading the RAM in that laptop? Barring that I say it's a coin flip. I just upgraded (clean install) from an evaluation copy of Windows 7 Enterprise 32 bit to Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit ... and on my 4 GB system, I'd swear it was a step back in terms of performance. However, I'm about to RMA 4 GB of RAM... so since I'm going to have 8 GB in the near-future it's a no-brainer for me. For you? Well... it really comes down to your RAM needs in the future. Remember, there is no upgrade from 32 to 64 bit... so choose wisely.

 

[xaira]

if 32 is problematic, id go x64, it wont make a diff.

 

[buzznut]

I'm running Win 7 64 on my laptop and it si just as fast as 32 bit. With my system it helps to have the extra ram as I don't have a disreet card and have shared ram.

The main problem I have run into is cd burning software for 64 bit. It pretty much sucks and those guys need to get on the ball and give us some decent software. I don't like the interface for burning using windows explorer, doesn't give me enough options.

Other than that, Win7 64 bit is a fine OS. With 4 gigs ram, I recommend going 64.

 

[porsche6714]

I looked into getting 8gb of ram but most of the prices on newegg were in the 300+ dollar range and honestly i dont really do anything that intensive on this computer besides some engineering projects for school.

Ive been checking around and most of the software i use has 64 bit versions. My only concern is im gonna go through all this trouble to ditch every application and driver i currently have and then search around for days trying to replace the stuff for no real benefit over just sticking with 32 bit.

If this were a desktop i guess it would be a no brainier considering you could easily upgrade to a crap load of ram in the future versus this laptop that just meets the 4gb requirement of 64 bit.

 

[psmeby]

Windows Vista allows one to stick in an SD card and the OS can use that as extra ram. While I haven't used this feature, I am sure that Windows 7 does the same thing. I am in the same dilemma since I can get windows 7 for $30, and I am unsure if I should go with 32 bit or 64 bit OS. I have four gigs of ram, but I don't think that I can go any higher with the ram, and therefore I am thinking of sticking with the 32 bit version.