Well I currently have window vista 32 bit but with 3 GB of ram but I am considering getting window 7 pro 64 bit. How much ram am I able to max my computer at? yes my computer can support a 64 bit. I am really considering getting 64 bit because I do a lot of stuff on my computer. I will be getting some more ram for my computer. or is a bad idea to go from a 32 bit OS to a 64 OS ?
If you are getting 4 gigs of ram or more, I would suggest getting x64, with a fresh install. As for the ram limit, with 64-bit, it is some very high number that I cannot remember at the moment. But for your purposes, your motherboard's ram limit will be more of an obstacle than 64-bit will be. Be sure that your Motherboard can support 8 or 16 gigs of ram before upgrading.
I myself upgraded from 32-Bit XP to W7 x64 with 8 gigs of ram. It's working like a dream.
The amount of Ram for a 64 bit machine is determine by the MB. A 64 bit system can take up to 128 Gigs of ram, however the amount your system can use may be far less. Check the manuals (paper/online) that came with your rig. For example; my computer is a Gateway FX 7026 X64 system with an Intel MB which allows only 16 gigs of ram. And, yes 64 bit is the way to go, specially if you are going to use Photoshop CS4, and Adobe Lightroom (both come in 64 bit). Also MS Office 2010 now comes in a 64 bit mode and is really sweet. :)
And to both Khanster789, and Kirbychwan, Welcome to the "Seven Forums."
And, Please when you get a chance fill in your System Specs so if you need help in the future those who will try help will be able to see your specs and have a better chance in addressing any problems you may have. Thank You, Lee
Thanks for the welcome. And yeah, Photoshop x64 and Maya-Mudbox x64 were my main reasons for switching to x64.
Now I just have to wait for Adobe to release a 64-bit version of Aftereffects already...
You have to consider a few things when making the move to x64 computing. First of all, x64 is able to address much more RAM - which is the obvious bonus.
However, running a x64 bit OS on your computer will almost certainly have limitations for a start. To begin with, it's important to ensure that all of your internal devices and peripherals have x64 drivers available, as x86 drivers will not work on a x86 platform. It is possible to make them work but there isn't much point as this will pull your system back to "x86 mode".
Also, running x64 will not necessarily make your computer faster, as the translation needed to run certain x86 applications and extensions will have a little bit of overhead compared to running them natively on a x86 system.
Tom
Windows 7 Home Basic x64 maxes out at 8GB of RAM.
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 and up supposedly can handle up to 192GB of RAM.
Most motherboards themselves still can't handle anywhere near the 192GB max (and most people would still be at an utter loss to use even 1/4 that even if their lives depended on it).
As long as you don't have old hardware (scanners, printers) without 64-bit drivers, and as long as you're looking at doing 4GB of RAM or more, 64-bit is the way to go.
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