Gaming In 64-Bit: Tom's Tests, Microsoft Weighs In

Setting Up An In-Depth Look At Performance

In order to take a closer look at the effects of running in a 64-bit environment, we set up three different platforms, all Core i7 965 Extreme-based. One ran a 32-bit version of Vista Ultimate with 3 GB of memory. One ran a 64-bit version of Vista Ultimate with 3 GB. And one ran a 64-bit version of Vista Ultimate with 6 GB.

The goal here wasn’t to evaluate the benefit of adding memory—we have a story coming later this month that specifically addresses memory scaling. Rather, we ran the three configurations in order to analyze performance altering one variable at a time. Jumping from 32-bit/3GB to 64-bit/6GB would have made it more difficult to pinpoint the source of performance changes.

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Test Hardware
ProcessorIntel Core i7 965 Extreme (Bloomfield) 3.2 GHz, 6.4 GT/s, 8 MB L3 Cache, power-saving settings disabled
MotherboardAsus P6T (X58/ICH10)
Graphics CardZotac GeForce GTX 260 Core 216
MemoryCorsair Dominator 6 GB (3 x 2 GB) DDR3-1600 8-8-8-24 @ 1,066 MHz / 7-7-7-20
Row 4 - Cell 0 Qimonda 3 GB (3 x 1 GB) DDR3-1066 7-7-7-20
Hard DriveWestern Digital VelociRaptor 300 GB 10,000 RPM SATA 3 Gb/s HDD
Power SupplyCooler Master UCP 1100 W
CPU CoolerThermalright Ultra 120 Extreme
System Software And Drivers
Operating SystemMicrosoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition x64 Service Pack 1
Row 10 - Cell 0 Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition x32 Service Pack 1
Graphics DriverNvidia GeForce 182.08
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BenchmarkConfiguration
World in ConflictVery High Quality Settings, No AA / No AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, Patch 1009, DirectX 10
Row 1 - Cell 0 Very High Quality Settings, 4x AA / 16x AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, Patch 1009, DirectX 10
Far Cry 2High Quality Settings, No AA / No AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, Steam Version
Row 3 - Cell 0 High Quality Settings, 4x AA / No AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, Steam Version
CrysisHigh Quality Settings, No AA / No AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit/32-bit Executable
Row 5 - Cell 0 High Quality Settings, 4x AA / No AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit/32-bit Executable
Left 4 DeadHighest Quality Settings, No AA / No AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, DirectX 10, Steam Version
Row 7 - Cell 0 Highest Quality Settings, 4x AA / 8x AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, DirectX 10, Steam Version
Grand Theft Auto IVHighest Quality Settings, No AA / "High" AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, Patch #2
Row 9 - Cell 0 Highest Quality Settings, 4x AA / "High" AF, vsync off, 1680x1050/1920x1200, Patch #2
3DMark VantagePerformance Default, High Quality
Chris Angelini
Chris Angelini is an Editor Emeritus at Tom's Hardware US. He edits hardware reviews and covers high-profile CPU and GPU launches.