Hey all,
I bought an Alienware computer back in early 2008 and its done me very well. I've been thinking of upgrading my Windows 7 OS from 32bit to 64bit and want to upgrade my computer accordingly to take advantage of the 64bit architecture. As the subject line says, I am a rookie to hardware upgrades (why I bought an Alienware ) and have only really replaced my graphics card on my own (since my previous one died).
My current specs from speccy:
Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime in the next few months
Budget Range: The cheaper the better but I'm thinking no more than a few hundred dollars.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, word processing, internet surfing, main computer of the family
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: Hoping you all will answer that (What needs to be upgraded to really take advantage of 64bit or am I already there?). The only area I'm sure needs love is the RAM since I heard you really need 4gb of ram to take advantage of 64bit.
Do you need to buy OS: No, I think my Windows 7 32bit license is good for the 64bit version too
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Any suggestions?
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Parts Preferences: Anything that is compatible with my current equipment
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Your Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
Additional Comments: I'd appreciate any help!
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I've been noticing a lot of recent games suffer from memory leaks in 32bit Windows and have been told upgrading to 64bit would resolve some of these issues with some hardware upgrades. I also have been noticing lots of games putting up barriers to those with 32bit systems. I.E., The Secret World won't let you go past medium graphics settings if you have a 32bit Windows system.
Thanks for any help!
I bought an Alienware computer back in early 2008 and its done me very well. I've been thinking of upgrading my Windows 7 OS from 32bit to 64bit and want to upgrade my computer accordingly to take advantage of the 64bit architecture. As the subject line says, I am a rookie to hardware upgrades (why I bought an Alienware ) and have only really replaced my graphics card on my own (since my previous one died).
My current specs from speccy:
Operating System
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit SP1
CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 @ 2.66GHz 47 °C
Kentsfield 65nm Technology
RAM
3.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 400MHz (5-5-5-16)
Motherboard
alienware alienware (Socket 775) 21 °C
Chipset Model: nForce 680i SLI SPP
Southbridge Model: nForce 680i SLI MCP
Graphics
SyncMaster (1680x1050@59Hz)
896MB GeForce GTX 260 (nVidia) 61 °C
Hard Drives
233GB Seagate ST325041 0AS SCSI Disk Device (ATA)
Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM GSA-H55N ATA Device
Audio
Creative X-Fi Audio Processor (WDM)
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit SP1
CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 @ 2.66GHz 47 °C
Kentsfield 65nm Technology
RAM
3.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 400MHz (5-5-5-16)
Motherboard
alienware alienware (Socket 775) 21 °C
Chipset Model: nForce 680i SLI SPP
Southbridge Model: nForce 680i SLI MCP
Graphics
SyncMaster (1680x1050@59Hz)
896MB GeForce GTX 260 (nVidia) 61 °C
Hard Drives
233GB Seagate ST325041 0AS SCSI Disk Device (ATA)
Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST DVD-RAM GSA-H55N ATA Device
Audio
Creative X-Fi Audio Processor (WDM)
Approximate Purchase Date: Sometime in the next few months
Budget Range: The cheaper the better but I'm thinking no more than a few hundred dollars.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, word processing, internet surfing, main computer of the family
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: Hoping you all will answer that (What needs to be upgraded to really take advantage of 64bit or am I already there?). The only area I'm sure needs love is the RAM since I heard you really need 4gb of ram to take advantage of 64bit.
Do you need to buy OS: No, I think my Windows 7 32bit license is good for the 64bit version too
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Any suggestions?
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Parts Preferences: Anything that is compatible with my current equipment
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Your Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050
Additional Comments: I'd appreciate any help!
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I've been noticing a lot of recent games suffer from memory leaks in 32bit Windows and have been told upgrading to 64bit would resolve some of these issues with some hardware upgrades. I also have been noticing lots of games putting up barriers to those with 32bit systems. I.E., The Secret World won't let you go past medium graphics settings if you have a 32bit Windows system.
Thanks for any help!