Windows 7: 32 bit vs 64 bit Comparison

Ah, listen, anyone who is running a 16-bit program has no reason whatsoever to upgrade to Windows 7! You and I both know that this issue is so remote and so 'particular' that it's almost a non-issue. As for drivers, well, I challenge you or anyone reading this to find a device and say "I connected it to Windows 7 x64 and it can't be used due to driver issues" - please don't do so if your device is from 1995. That does not count. It's the same issue as saying that your 1992 RCA TV can't take advantage of HD digital broadcasts so it doesn't make sense to buy a new LCD TV - you see it even sounds strange. Technology has advanced and it's hardly valid to cater to the lowest common denominator in this case.



The benefits of 64-bit computing will probably not directly translate to real-world performance improvements for the majority of users, but, why not go for something current, and certainly 64-bit OS makes perfect sense even for the average PC user. Anyways, to sum it up - if you're actually concerned about a 16-bit application, then forget upgrading, since your problems probably supersede the need to even upgrade...

This mouse, purchased in 2008 from Bestbuy, worked great with XP and 7 32-bit. I never got it to work with 7 64-bit. I got the newest drivers from Targus and tried installing in compatibility mode.


Even MS more or less tells you it is not compatible with 64-bit: Windows 7 Compatibility for Targus 3Button Wireless Laser Stow-N-Go Laptop Mice: Targus. Drivers, Updates, Downloads

I had to buy a new wireless mouse, which worked as soon as I plugged it in.

Any more arguments?

If you care to search through the BSOD's, you can find plenty of examples where keyboards, mice, network cards, graphics cards, and sound cards have had to be upgraded because there were no current drivers. This seems to be particularly true of Razer gaming devices.

Top article. Very in-depth. Kudos

No arguments at all, but I really respect the fact that you took the time to give a specific example, instead of the typical "plenty of examples where keyboards, mice, network cards, graphics cards, and sound cards have had to be upgraded because there were no current drivers". I like how you operate Petey7!!! But, to keep in tune with the subject, yeah, it does happen where this or that particular device doesn't support a 64-bit environment. That's not the OS's fault, but the company who sold you a device with incomplete or outdated drivers. Yes, this doesn't change the fact that some stuff will not work, but I hope you agree that this is, now, a rare exception which is not indicative of a big problem with upgrading to a 64-bit platform. I remember trying XP-64, but it was such a headache to use that it made no sense to integrate it in everyday usage. I reverted to the 32-bit edition within a month or so. Now, considering Vista, and certainly Windows 7, it's really unlikely that the same issues will be experienced under normal conditions. That's all I'm saying really.

I quite agree that it is not the fault of the OS. The manufactures had ample time to update their products and drivers. Some chose not to as part of planned obsolescence. They make more money selling new hardware. Unless one has a specific peice of hardware needed for specific purposes (as some business do), it does not make since to not upgrade to 64 bit because of a keyboard, a mouse, or some peripheral.

By the way, I did give you a specific examples of Razer mice and keyboards I simply cannot remember each BSOD I have worked or read where obsolete drivers came into play for which there are no updates. And I was not going to research it.

Running 16-bit software is not near as remote as you think. You would be suprised how much 16-bit software still runs in the enterprise. There are countless little apps, scrapped together 10 or 15 years ago, that have become requirements on certain enterprise infrastructures. I know of two firms, that have about 6000 seats each that have not moved to Server 2008 R2, because it is 64-bit only and they have at least one critical app, that is over a decade old, that has 16-bit elements.

It was coded by someone no longer working there. The source code is long gone, and a re-write would be $10,000's if you include all the time for testing. Right now is not the time to bite that bullet. And this is only 2 that I know of and my experience is actually pretty small in the industry.

For the average home user, yea, jump on 64-bit when you can. Chances are anything you need can be run on 64-bit today. But still, make sure you do a little bit of research before commiting.

So wait is 64bit faster then 32bit?

Depends who you ask and who replies, and then the variables come into play which pretty much result in a very very long answer. To sum it up, basically, there are specific and inherent benefits to a 64bit system, but there are also facts which some of us using 64bit conveniently ignore or 'forget'. Firstly, the specific benefits are that you can run 64bit programs, which more and more software developers are putting out. Even some games now come with a 64bit version. In most cases you'll notice an improvement, but with some it's so minute that it's only faster on charts and benchmarks. But, the inherent benefits are that if you want to run 64bit, then you will also probably be running it on a more capable hardware. The sum of it all is that you'll have a more 'efficient' system. But, there's also a darker side to this. Isolated driver issues (rare, but happens). Also, if you run a 32bit application on a 64bit OS, then the OS actually has to emulate a 32bit environment for your applications - which, sometimes actually can translate to operational inefficiencies! Of course, the question remains: which one offers overall benefits. My answer is that a 64bits system is better than a 32bit system. I would not have written this 4 years ago, but today, it is a valid thing to say (though, as I'm sure you gather from previous posts, not 100% popular).

Dlink DIR-253 Wireless Adaptor 32 bit drivers only (admittedly this one was from 2005 ish, just after Vista came out)

Belkin F5D8053 N wirless adapter, less than a year old when Win 7 came out, didn't work on Win 7 because Belkin decided to give out 32 bit only drivers for it despite claiming they had 32 and 64 bit in the installation files.

Vodafone 775 Mobile phone (and 3G Modem) only came with Vista drivers which Windows 7 didn't like. Windows 7 had been out for 6 months at this point.