32 or 64-bit for Laptop?

[gmatos78]

I'm getting a Dell XPS m1530 with a Dual Core 2.0 MHz CPU, the 256MB nVidia 8600M GT GPU, and 3GB of Ram at least.

My uses for it will be all-rounded; school work, media, gaming, and the occasional tinkering with stuff like Photoshop and AutoCAD.

I also plan on switching to Windows 7 the minute it comes out.

So is it worth getting the 64bit version over the 32bit version for me?

 

[notherdude]

If you plan on running four or more gig of ram then go 64. That's the only way to actually use that much RAM, 32 bit will limit you to 3 to 3.5 gig out of your 4 installed.

Running 64 has become quite easy actually and support for it is nearing 100%, so there is only a slight chance you might run into some old app or piece of hardware that doesn't work with it. Certainly on a new system this should be a non-issue. A walk through Best Buy will show you that almost all their new systems come with 64 only and that tells you a lot right there - it is taking over fairly quickly and I suspect that with 7 we will be almost all 64 bit with 32 bit becoming the exception.

Aside from the RAM benefit there isn't much difference, this may be changing soon though as 64 becomes the standard the tables may turn and put 32 on the short side of support.

I'd go 64 myself. That's what I have on my laptop and my desktop.

 

[gmatos78]

Hmm...then maybe I should take advantage of the fact that Dell is charging the same price for either of them when ordering a new laptop and get the 64-bit. Or have they always been the same price?

getting it with 4 Gigs takes it above my budget but 3 gigs on a 64bit shouldn't be a problem right?

 

[notherdude]

Same price always I think, 32 or 64. Three gig is no problem on 64. If there is some particular app you really need to run. something old or out of the mainstream you might research it first. Most all software is written still for 32 bit but a 64 bit system simply runs it in its 32 bit mode, so 32 bit software is usually no issue.

A 64 bit system will consume a slightly larger amount of RAM doing the same work as a 32 bit system. That's the only drawback really.

64 is a good choice for future proofing and for when you might add more RAM to the system - in the short run 32 might be a safer bet for you. It's OK either way really.

 

[rasmasyean]

Processor power is becoming less of the bottleneck for mainstream applications. So the upgradability of your RAM might play a factor in allowing your computer to last for a longer time and still be endurable. Mainstream use consists of stuff like browser, office apps, and such...and benefit from multitasking and SuperFetch (in Vista) which scales the performance increase with RAM. If you are going to do advanced gaming, you will probably buy a new computer every 2-3 years anyway. But most people in this route go with desktops.

P.S. Don't count on your current laptop being upgradable to Windows 7. They more often than not aren't going to be compatible.

 

[rasmasyean]

For the future, if you get really into it...or perhaps have an edge over competitors.

Adobe Photoshop® Extended and Acrobat® Pro natively support 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. Adobe Premiere® Pro, After Effects®, Soundbooth®, Encore®, and Adobe OnLocation™ are certified on 64-bit Windows Vista.
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/mastercollection/systemreqs/

Adobe CS4 is 64-bit only on Vista. OSX have to wait for CS5 or something like that when they catch up.
http://www.betanews.com/article/Adobe_CS4_will_be_64bit_but_only_on_Windows/1207258861

To put things in perspective, this is what 64-bit does...

What are the advantages of 64-bit computing?
In early testing of 64-bit support in Photoshop for Windows®, overall performance gains ranged from 8% to 12%. Those who work with extremely large files may realize noticeably greater gains in performance, in some cases as dramatic as ten times the previous speed. This is because 64-bit applications can address larger amounts of memory and thus result in less file swapping — one of the biggest factors that can affect data processing speed.
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/faq/?promoid=DRHXB