64 bit Win7 with 4 GB RAM?

[1405]

1- Is there any performance benefit using a 64 bit ver. of Win7 over a 32 bit ver. if I only have 4 GB of system memory?
2- Does one version leave more system memory available for the user than the other version?

 

[inerax]

Yes, its worth getting 64 bit. And you will be ready to add more ram when needed.

To install a 64-bit version of Windows 7, you need a CPU that's capable of running a 64-bit version of Windows. The benefits of using a 64-bit operating system are most apparent when you have a large amount of random access memory (RAM) installed on your computer, typically 4 GB of RAM or more. In such cases, because a 64-bit operating system can handle large amounts of memory more efficiently than a 32-bit operating system, a 64-bit system can be more responsive when running several programs at the same time and switching between them frequently.


http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/32-bit-and-64-bit-windows#1TC=windows-7

http://archive.benchmarkreviews.com/images/reviews/motherboards/zotac_ionitx-a-u/Windows7_32-bit_vs_64-bit_Vantage.png

 

[a_bista]

No,actually all the new upcoming programs and games are optimized for 64bit 0S so having 4gb ram is good keeping ur pc fast...

 

[jbrown156]

1- Is there any performance benefit using a 64 bit ver. of Win7 over a 32 bit ver. if I only have 4 GB of system memory?
2- Does one version leave more system memory available for the user than the other version?

believe it or not using 4gb a lone with 64bit makes the system slower than the 32bit os .. you can only reap the benefits if you have atleast 6gb of ram..64bit eats up roughly 2gb of that 4 leaving you with 2gb to use while the 32 bit allows you to have 3.5gb useable and eats away about 1gb leaving you with 2.5gb free.. at idle with nothing running you will get less than 1gb of ram usage .. i have seem windows 7 use 5xx mb of ram ..hope i helped

 

[boosted1g]

If nothing ever changed then 32bit os would be faster.

More things are being optimized for 64bit os, and if you get 32bit you are maxed out on memory from the get go.

In short if you just look at today the 32bit OS is better with only 4gb of ram. If you are looking at all as far as what is the best to buy for the long run, the 64 bit is the clear choice.

 

[gaborbarla]

1- Is there any performance benefit using a 64 bit ver. of Win7 over a 32 bit ver. if I only have 4 GB of system memory?
2- Does one version leave more system memory available for the user than the other version?

It is a good idea to get 64 bit over 32 bit so you dont have to reinstall when you want to upgrade. BUT the truth is that 32 windows 7 uses significantly less RAM than 64bit. Each application on 64bit windows addresses memory segments (64 bit instead of 32 bit) and in theory would require double the RAM, in practice it is better to use 32 bit windows if you have less than 4 gigs of RAM but if you have 4 gigs and you only see 3.25 gigs then I would go for 64 bit. If you can get 32 bit to recognise all your 4 gigs which can get tricky depending on your motherboard 32 bit will actually utilise the 4 gigs much better. Optimisation doesnt really make a difference and even 64 optimised games gain about 1-2% performance advantage.