I'm going to order a new computer for video editing and web video. I want to get the 64 bit version. I've read some editorials that say stick with 32 bit for software and hardware compatibility. I am going for a system with Q6600 and dual video cards. I will probably keep this computer for at least 5 years like my current one.

Any feedback on problems with 64 bit will be appreciated.

My current system,
Athlon XP2400 cpu
Gigabyte GA-7vaxp Rev 1.1 mb with promise onboard raid controller Bios Award F8
Serial No. : 010471933173101421sn0240904160
Kingston value ram 1536mb DDR pc3200 400mhz
Dual 80gig maxtor hd's 7200rpm ata 133 raid 0
Seagate 500GB and 250GB external hard drives
Artec 16X DVD-ROM
Cyberdrive 40X16X48 CDRW
Verbatim 2.4X DVD+RW/R
Liteon Superallwrite lightscribe 16/48 DVD/CDRW
ATI all in wonder 8500dv AGP primary video card
Radeon 9250 256MB PCI Secondary video card
2 HANNS-G 28" High Def LCD Monitor HG281
2 Hyundai 19" LCD Imagequest Monitors L90D+
Antec 430 watt true power ps
Ahanix platinum xp steel case
Windows xp home sp1
AVG Free antivirus
Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall 4.3
Westell Versalink 327 WDK DSL Gateway
Bellsouth DSL running @ 3 Mbps

Vista 64 user here.

Hmm.. If ever there was a home usage demanding of a 64 bit OS, it's heavy Video, even if only for the ability to fully address and use truly ridiculous amounts of RAM. There's other differences, sure. But most people make the switch for that reason. So many (most?) V64 users have 4GB of RAM or more on their systems. And with DDR2 prices falling as they have, there are some with 8GB on their 4 slot boards. Hell, I was thinking of swapping my (4 1GB) Corsair Dominators for a pair of 2GB modules now that I'm seeing tighter timings (4-4-4-12 versus the 5-5-5-15 I have now) and would have the option to go to 8 later on as well... Then I laugh, and remember that I don't fully use the 4 I have now... For $130 a pair it's tempting, tho...


Regarding Vista 64 - For new hardware, compatibility issues are essentially a thing of the past. nVidia and ATI both have drivers for all of their newer cards, optical, mobo and buss/raid drivers have been worked out, and even Creative have finally made a reasonably good and reliable driver for their stuff. If you're building a new system, then you shouldn't have any real issues. <Hell - If a schmo like me can get V64 working reliably, then it should be doable by most anyone!!>

Fact: Vista 64 includes the libraries necessary to run 32 bit applications, and considering the huge numbers of apps out there, these libraries are highly effective. Almost all of the apps I have on my comp are 32 bit, and from a user perspective you would never know the difference.

Caveats: Vista (both 32 and 64 bit) does not allow applications/services to directly access the kernel or hardware. Older applications written with these types of programming shortcuts may have issues. In V64 you can set a specific 'Compatiility Mode' for apps which may be having issues, and that often works. But not always.

The second big thing is that Microsoft completely re-wrote the communications stack - Older routers, network management apps, and (especially, it seems) wireless gear may not like what they see. I have an older wireless router not meant for Vista: V32 was fine when I ran that. But 64 didn't like the drivers for it at all. I mentally added that item to my list of things to replace. But for grins I plugged in a LAN cable and no device drivers - damned if it doesn't work perfectly. I did have to buy a new printer tho...

Third is shareware: If you use a lot of shareware, know that Vista 64 has a total and pathological hatred of anything with expired or unsigned digital certificates. You will not be able to run these types of apps at all. Early on, you could permanently disable the option in the security config and run that stuff anyhow, but that ability was removed from the OS. You may do so temporarily, but on restart the Certificate Nazi regains control. If you really want, you can download and install a software development kit. Then you can use the tool in the SDK to sign the apps yourself.

There's a couple things to check on: Since it's your primary intended usage, make sure your preferred video editing software are Vista 64 compatible. Best performance, etc etc... Same thing for any peripherals you intend to continue using: Printers/scanners, network devices, and the like.

Kind of "Meh" stuff - Resign yourself to dumping your existing security software for a version that made to run in Vista 64. Flash hasn't written a native 64 bit version of their plug in. So Explorer 64 ends up not being able to properly render Flash sites. But you can install/run the 32 bit version in the 32 bit browser of your choice and it works fine. I have Firefox, Internet Exploder 7, and Opera and Flash works fine on all three.

nice post scott, love the sig aswell.

Im piecing a system together at the moment, im sure its 64-bit capable so I wont bother the public (i bought 2gigs of ddr2 pc6400 ram but like you am feeling very tempted to boost that up, even though i'm sure 2gigs will surfice for my downloading, internet-exploring and rare counterstrike or worl-eleven game-playing)..

I think the 64-bit will be the one for me, i dont like the price-tag but i guess a lot of work went into producing it, and im going to be using it a lot!

The certificate nazi sounds very familiar. There are some naggling things like that on XP and can see what youre saying. Music verification, file verification... makes me want to try a linux system! (might partition my drive up and try a bit of linux lol)

I heard 64 bit is worth it if your an extreme gamer, i am i mild to mid gamer and i am gonna go with a 32 bit.Does anybody disagree with the decision i am going with?Let me know?

Avoid Vista 32 like its on fire. Its a dog. There is nothing you can do to improve its performance. Vista 64 runs just as good as XP out of the box and is more secure then 32. It also offers future gains as more and more titles are pooring in with 64bit clients.