[SOLVED] Is it worth converting to 64 bit Windows 10?

[Albie2351]

Another query about the old Dell Optiplex 780 at my Church. At present although a 64 bit machine it is only running 32 bit Windows 10 as for some reason 32 bit Windows 7 was installed initially. My query is is it worthwhile converting it to 64 bit? What advantage will be gained as Microsoft 365 is nominally 32 bit? The main use is showing PowerPoint presentations which may include videos.

 

[siaan312]

The main difference for most people (there are lots of differences_

Is that 32bit windows only allows 4 gigs of ram.

 

[Colif]

MIcrosoft 365
Reasons to choose the 64-bit version

1. Computers running 64-bit versions of Windows generally have more resources such as processing power and memory, than their 32-bit predecessors. Also, 64-bit applications can access more memory than 32-bit applications (up to 18.4 million Petabytes). Therefore, if your scenarios include large files and/or working with large data sets and your computer is running 64-bit version of Windows, 64-bit is the right choice when:
2. You’re working with large data sets, like enterprise-scale Excel workbooks with complex calculations, many pivot tables, data connections to external databases, Power Pivot, 3D Map, Power View, or Get & Transform. The 64-bit version of Office may perform better in these cases. See, Excel specifications and limits, Data Model specification and limits, and Memory usage in the 32-bit edition of Excel.
3. You’re working with extremely large pictures, videos, or animations in PowerPoint. The 64-bit version of Office may be better suited to handle these complex slide decks.
4. You’re working with files over 2 GB in Project, especially if the project has many sub-projects.
5. You’re developing in-house Office solutions like add-ins or document-level customization. Using the 64-bit version of Office lets you deliver a 64-bit version of those solutions as well as a 32-bit version. In-house Office solution developers should have access to the 64-bit Office 2016 for testing and updating these solutions.
6. You’re working with the Large Number data type in Access, and while this data type is supported by 32-bit Access, you may see unexpected results when executing code or expressions that use native 32-bit VBA libraries. 64-bit VBA provides the LongLong data type which fully supports large numbers. For more information, see Using the Large Number data type.

Reasons to choose the 32-bit version
The following computer systems can only install 32-bit Office. Check your Windows version.

1. 64-bit operating system with ARM-based processor
2. 32-bit operating system with an x86 (32-bit) processor
3. Less than 4 GB RAM

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...f-office-2dee7807-8f95-4d0c-b5fe-6c6f49b8d261

reason 3 of Why to use 64 bit may apply for your PowerPoint usage.

 

[geofelt]

Since the pc is still doing the job for you, I would continue running as is.

32 bit apps run just fine on a 64 bit os.
But, If your app is an old 16 bit app, it will only run on a 32 bit os.

 

[Math Geek]

for a simple machine showing power point and videos, no reason to go through the work of upgrading it to 64-bit.

you'll get no advantage for such simple tasks. if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!