Would I benifit in going from 3gb to 4gb ram?

• Have old laptop
• Computer currently has 3gb ram and 32bit W7 pro
• Thinking about about putting 64bit and 4gb ram
• Is it worth it? How do I know if my computer can handle 64bit?
• Specs:Product Specifications Compaq Presario CQ50-139NR Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)
• It says max memory is 3gb, but crucial ram says 4gb is the max? Which is right?

To run a 64-bit version of Windows, your computer must have a 64-bit-capable processor. To find out if your processor is 64-bit-capable, do the following:

1. Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button
   
   , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Performance Information and Tools.
2. Click View and print details.
3. In the System section, you can see what type of operating system you're currently running under System type. Under 64-bit capable, you can see whether you can run a 64-bit version of Windows. (If your computer is already running a 64-bit version of Windows, you won't see the 64-bit capable listing.)

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Bill2 said:

Heres how you can tell whether the processor is 64 bit capable.

To run a 64-bit version of Windows, your computer must have a 64-bit-capable processor. To find out if your processor is 64-bit-capable, do the following:

1. Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button
   
   , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Performance Information and Tools.
2. Click View and print details.
3. In the System section, you can see what type of operating system you're currently running under System type. Under 64-bit capable, you can see whether you can run a 64-bit version of Windows. (If your computer is already running a 64-bit version of Windows, you won't see the 64-bit capable listing.)

Click to expand...

Whether you actually need 64 bit is a separate question. Theres no performance gain if thats what you're looking for, the main reason people switch to 64 bit is to be able to utilize 4 gigs ram. Right click on the task bar, click Start Task manager, click Performance tab, then look at the green memory bar chart. That shows how much memory the system is consuming right now. If it is well below your installed RAM and assuming that you're not suddenly going to install aseveral memory hogging programs, you should continue with 32 bit and 3 gigs RAM IMO.

Click to expand...