Bit size of Motherboard

[Johann_47]

Im using 32 bit operating system (Xp)but want to upgrade to a 64 bit operating system(Vista). How do i find out if my motherboard will support this?

 

[gkay09]

There is no link between the Bit versions of the OS and the Mobo...
Any versions of XP/ Vista 32/ 64 bit can be installed on any intel or AMD supporting mobos.

 

[amnotanoobie]

Pentium 4 with EMT64, Athlon 64, Pentium D, Celeron D, Pentium Dual-Core, Athlon X2, Sempron, Phenom, Phenom II, Athlon II, Core 2, i7, and i5 all support 64-bit OS.

An old P4 without EMT64, some old variations of Celeron, Athlon XP, Duron, Pentium 3, Pentium 2, Pentium, 486, 386, 286, 8088 all do not support 64-bit.

 

[outlw6669]

Im using 32 bit operating system (Xp)but want to upgrade to a 64 bit operating system(Vista). How do i find out if my motherboard will support this?

Is your CPU capable of handling the 64 bit instruction set?
If yes, you are good to go.
If you are unsure, use CPU-Z to check.

 

[photonboy]

Motherboards that do not support 64-bit are pretty old, and, as mentioned it's CPU you need to be 64-bit (if it is installed and working then your motherboard is 64-bit capable).

My dad's single-core AMD Sempron is NOT 64-bit capable. On the AMD Athlon side that was pretty much the last CPU.

CPU-Z and Google is what you want.

There's also a slight higher RAM usage (about 15%) off the top with no immediate benefit so you want at least 2GB to use a 64-bit Windows. 4GB is ideal (more is not ideal; less is not ideal).

 

[tcsenter]

If the entire system (motherboard, chipset, and CPU) do not support more than 4GB, there is little point to installing a 64-bit OS. You get all the potential compatibility issues and increased RAM utilization/footprint with little to none of the benefits to 64-bit computing.