Should I switch to Windows 7 64 bit from 32 Bit

Hi
I have windows 7 32 bit version installed on my desktop PC. I would have installed the 64 bit version except that on of my printers did not have 53 bit drivers available. Neither does my Epson Perfection 1250 scanner. Several months after installing the 32 Bit version, I purchased a Sony Vaio notebook PC which came with a free upgrade to Windows 7 64 bit. I subsequently changed my printer to a more recent model, and have ordered a new scanner which also comes with available Windows 7 64 bit drivers. I am considering reinstalling Windows 7 on my desktop pc but in the 64 bit version. Its a real pain to do so. Any opinions on whether it will be worth the effort?

Thanks.

You left out the two most important criteria:

What do you want?

and

System Specs

Welcome to the Seven Forums! alstein

When first going to test 7 I couldn't even connect online with the 64bit Windows 7 or even previous XP and Vista 64bit editions for those two. For me it was simply a change of service provider to connect running the 64bit anything!

Upon 7's release the actual support for the 64bit Windows has seen a major improvement over what had been seen for the two previous versions. With the change and likely upgrade of printers there the decision to run the 64bit or stay with the 32bit is yours to make there.

Surprizingly most programs will still run on the 64bit due to the improvement in 32bit emulation seen in 7 while some programs simply will not run on any 64bit Windows. That is one consideration and sometimes a stumbling block for some besides hardware/device drivers.

If you are into CAD programming or running super memory hungry softwares the ability to surpass the 3.5gb barrier allows for having more then 4gb of system memory installed. But the 64bit Windows only uses about 300mb more of memory simply due to seeing less data swapped out to the hard drive by way of paging file and kept in the active ram, a more efficient process while not necessarily any super performance boost!

One option would be setting up a dual boot of both 32bit and 64bit on the desktop either on a second primary or drive in order to run them for side by side comparisons. Once you have both running on the exact same hardwares with the same programs as well you can make the final decision on which suits your own needs the best.

If your desktop works fine as is, there is no reason to change it (unless you have more than 4 gigs of RAM).

~Lordbob