32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 on 2GB of RAM

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djdelarosa25

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Jun 28, 2015
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Hi there!



I upgraded my dad's <mod edit> PC to Windows 10, and he didn't like it. So now, I'm going to reinstall Windows 7 from scratch, but I am unsure whether or not to download the 32-bit or 64-bit ISOs.

This PC has a Core 2 Duo E7400 (which does support x64), Nvidia 9400GT, and 2GB of DDR2 RAM. He doesn't want to upgrade it since he only uses Chrome and Office and Paint, and upgrading would simply be a waste of money for him. But maybe in the future I can convince him to upgrade the RAM to at least 4GB.

So, is there a SIGNIFICANT difference in performance between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 on 2GB of RAM?



Thanks a lot to those who will help!
 
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BrandX

BrandX

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Aug 30, 2013
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It's all here: http://www.howtogeek.com/56701/htg-explains-whats-the-difference-between-32-bit-and-64-bit-windows-7/

Privacy scandal issues aside, I am also a traditionalist so I really don't like Windows 8 or 10, although I do hear there are some genuine improvements over Windows 7. There's no reason to not install 64-bit if the computer is 64-bit compatible other than if you need to run very old 16-bit programs - they will not run on 64-bit.

Definitely upgrade the ram! Secondhand sticks of DDR2 ram are dirt cheap; you might have to pay more for matched pairs, but just getting the machine up to 4GB's would make a real difference. I don't think he'll need more than 4GB's, but 2GB's is not enough. I've thrown away sticks of DDR2 ram for goodness sake.
 
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djdelarosa25

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Jun 28, 2015
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I'm in a mess right now. I've searched high and low on the internet and the opinions are divided.

The advocates of 32-bit say that 2 GB of RAM is more comfortable on it since 64-bit consumes more RAM by nature.

I don't know what to do now. I'm not even sure if my dad will be upgrading.
 
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BrandX

BrandX

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Aug 30, 2013
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If you're in the UK I can send you a free stick of 1GB DDR2 667 (also a pair of old 512's - I don't know if they work) it's a cheap generic so it would limit the speed of the existing ram sticks if they are faster, but it's an option.

 
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