Windows 7 32bit or 64bit for $50 difference

[epikyoung]

Well since college is starting in about 2 weeks for me i am looking for a laptop and there were few i like but i think i am going with a Lenovo U460 laptop. The Lenovo U460 feathers core i3 330um, 14in display, Geforce 305m with Intel HD for switchable graphics, and lot more feather i really like for its price but there are 2 model for this laptop and i cant really pick which one.

The question is that the 2 model have a the same spec expect 2 thing which give price difference of $50. The first model is $730 in Amazon for 4GB of DDR3 memory with window 7 64bit. The second model is $680 in Amazon for 3GB of DDR3 memory with window 7 32bit.

Should i spend 50 extra dollors to get 1 more GB or ram with 64bit window or is 50 dollor less for a 1 less GB of ram with 32bit window better.

If i do get the 64bit version what is it do tats better then the 32bit version other then 1 GB of extra ram

 

[Jonmor68]

Pay the $50 extra and get the 64 bit one, it will be a bit faster processing data and you can't have too much ram. It's better to get 4 GB now rather then add more later.

 

[Zoron]

It's almost not worth considering 32-bit Windows anymore... I'd only recommend it on low-end hardware with less than 4GB of RAM. Of course, if your processor doesn't have x64 extensions, then you're stuck with 32-bit anyway.

 

[cassandraf_winteam]

I'd lean toward the 64-bit version since 64-bit can usually run both 64-bit and 32-bit programs, while 32-bit cannot run 64-bit prgrams. To learn more about the differences, visit http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/32-bit-and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions

Cheers,
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

 

[longlivelinux90]

64 bit operating systems are capable of running almost anything a 32bit operating system can. As stated above, they have a much larger RAM cap 128 for Ultimate edition if I am not mistaken. Go with 64 bit.

 

[will_chellam]

Arguably security is better on a 64bit system as well, as most viruses arent coded to work with a 64bit browser - not a major reason, but something i considered.

The slight downside is you need to check any additional hardware will work with a 64bit OS, for example I had an old(ish) scanner with no 64bit driver, but you might be surprised that even some newer hardware from well known companies may not have a driver - all-in-one printers are notorious for this.

 

[longlivelinux90]

Arguably security is better on a 64bit system as well, as most viruses arent coded to work with a 64bit browser - not a major reason, but something i considered.

The slight downside is you need to check any additional hardware will work with a 64bit OS, for example I had an old(ish) scanner with no 64bit driver, but you might be surprised that even some newer hardware from well known companies may not have a driver - all-in-one printers are notorious for this.

Agreed 100%. There is a compatibility list for 64 bit here

The main reason (not counting being cheap) that people shy from 64 bit is drivers for hardware. Although Device Manager usually fixes this

Start Menu->right click computer->properties->device manager

Look for any ?'d items and right click, then update driver. It can take care of 75% of problems with hardware.

*above method for vista/7 only.

 

[geofelt]

The real question is the value to you of the extra ram.

If you usually do just one thing at a time, then 3gb will be fine.

If, on the other hand, you are a multi tasker with many windows open, then the 4gb ram option will serve you well.

If in doubt, get the 4gb. Your needs may change.

 

[jimmysmitty]

64 bit operating systems are capable of running almost anything a 32bit operating system can. As stated above, they have a much larger RAM cap 128 for Ultimate edition if I am not mistaken. Go with 64 bit.

Its 128GB software wise. Hardware wise it is 16.777 Million (yes million) Terabytes worth of allocateable memory. Wow. Thats pretty insane.

And will is correct. Unlike the 32Bit version, the 64Bits kernal is much different which makes it less suceptable to viruses. At work we tend to get more 32Bit viruse related PCs and laptops than 64Bit.

Plus from what I have experienced, the 64Bit is faster and quite a bit more stable.

 

[techgeek]

Wow, that's gay that the 64bit installation costs $50 more. Looking at the place I buy my hardware and software from, 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows cost the same amount. No accounting for the way OEM's price things.

 

[geofelt]

Wow, that's gay that the 64bit installation costs $50 more. Looking at the place I buy my hardware and software from, 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows cost the same amount. No accounting for the way OEM's price things.

In the OP's case, the extra $50 buys you 1gb more of ram. The extra $50 is perhaps a bit more than it should be.

The 64 bit OS will normally run any 32 bit program. It will not run 16bit dos programs like civilization-2.42.
32 bit programs will be able to run such 16 bit programs, but will not run programs specifically written to use 64 bit addressing.
Neither of these limitations is usually relevant.