Windows 7 64-bit - Programs in X86

[phasmantis]

So, I noticed that my Windows 7 (which is 64-bit) automatically installs every program in my X86 program files folder. Doesn't this mean that my programs are running in 32-bit mode? If so, doesn't this mean my game/programs won't be running as quickly as they should be?

 

[Ijack]

That does indeed mean that the programs are 32-bit ones. Not much you can do about it if the publishers haven't converted them to 64-bit. More and more programs are now being produced in 32- and 64-bit versions.

 

[phasmantis]

So will this affect performance of say, Battlefield Bad Company 2, which is installed through steams x86 folder? I believe that supports 64-bit. Could I try reinstalling steam in my 64-bit program folder along with the games?

Wondering if Windows would still run the 32-bit programs in 32-bit mode through that folder...

 

[Ijack]

If the program has installed in the x86 folder then it is a 32-bit program. You could install it in the 64-bit folder, and it would still run, but it would still be exactly the same 32-bit program and run at exactly the same speed.

If a 64-bit version of that particular program is available then you need to specifically download the 64-bit version rather than the 32-bit one; they are different executables. (And in that case I would certainly expect the 64-bit one to be slightly faster.) I don't know how this relates to Steam, as I don't use it. Perhaps someone else knows the answer to Steam and 64-bit support.

 

[phasmantis]

Well, steam downloads games into its directory and runs the games out of it. As you probably know, some games take advantage of 64-bit, this is why I was asking. However, if I add -64bit to the launch options of the game, it pretty much solves my problem I think.

 

[Necromas]

Unless your running with a machine and settings such that the game will be need to use more than 4GB of memory, I'm assuming it shouldn't really matter whether or not the game runs in 32-bit or 64-bit mode. Since most games don't use a lot of RAM, you should be just fine, and by the time they do 64-bit versions of games will be more common.

In fact a little googling has shown that running crysis in 64-bit mode sometimes reduces FPS slightly (assuming the people saying this weren't using such high settings that it needed more memory than 32-bits can address).

 

[taco-boy]

I have the same question, but the problem is with Battlefield 3.