32bit better then 64?

[CarlTR6]

When a BSOD happens on any system - x86 or x86-64 - its the users fault. 64-bit is stable and 32-bit is heading the way of the dodo.

I respectfully disagree. What about hardware issues - memory going bad, a power supply failing, a video card going bad? Not to mention bad drivers and bad coding in programs.

 

[Frostmourne]

When a BSOD happens on any system - x86 or x86-64 - its the users fault. 64-bit is stable and 32-bit is heading the way of the dodo.

I respectfully disagree. What about hardware issues - memory going bad, a power supply failing, a video card going bad? Not to mention bad drivers and bad coding in programs.

Apart from hardware, I've never had driver issues on three systems either. As for programs, that is out of anyone but the developer's control, unless you want to adjust open source apps yourself.

 

[CarlTR6]

Agreed. I did have driver problems with an NVidia card that was supposed to be compatible with Seven. I finally got another card and problems were solved. It may not have been the drivers; it may have been the card itself, although Windows reported the card was fine.

 

[Frostmourne]

Agreed. I did have driver problems with an NVidia card that was supposed to be compatible with Seven. I finally got another card and problems were solved. It may not have been the drivers; it may have been the card itself, although Windows reported the card was fine.

That may be hardware. You could have run Furmark to stress the card.

 

[pparks1]

Maybe it's just me, but at this point running Windows 7 x86 just seems unecessary.

Perhaps for you it's unnecessary. However on my work laptop, I have to run the CheckPoint Secure Connect VPN client to connect to work and it absolutely, positively does not run under 64-bit. So, 32-bit is very necessary for me.

The truth is x64 uses more resources, and has a lot more problems, especially driver issues.

Unless I have 4GB or more of RAM, I install the 32-bit version. I don't see any sense risking BSODs, using more resources, and having the few incompatible programs when I only have 2GB.

Jonathan, I agree that with 4GB or less of RAM, I still recommend the 32-bit version for most people. You will always find a 32-bit driver for your hardware, but 64-bit can still be hit or miss. And while the big name 64-bit players like Nvidia or Radeon have solid drivers, some of the other 64-bit drivers just aren't all that great for the more obscure hardware that a lot of us have.

I haven't had issues with drivers on my home desktop running the 64-bit version of 7, but that box has 8GB of RAM to support multiple virtual machines so using a 64-bit system was a requirement there.

 

[Frostmourne]

Isn't it time to find a new working VPN client that supports 64-bit?

 

[pparks1]

Isn't it time to find a new working VPN client that supports 64-bit?

Perhaps, but this requires my company to switch out all of the VPN concentrator devices across our global network and this is a costly proposal.

 

[Frostmourne]

Isn't it time to find a new working VPN client that supports 64-bit?

Perhaps, but this requires my company to switch out all of the VPN concentrator devices across our global network and this is a costly proposal.

So the software is older along with the hardware? Hmmm, interesting decision.

 

[pparks1]

So the software is older along with the hardware? Hmmm, interesting decision.

Yeah, a lot of this network equipment can be extremely expensive...so when purchased it's usually used for a number of years before you can justify the replacement of the equipment. Unfortunately, we are not near the point where we can justify a hardware replacement to support a few 64-bit systems.

 

[CarlTR6]

Agreed. I did have driver problems with an NVidia card that was supposed to be compatible with Seven. I finally got another card and problems were solved. It may not have been the drivers; it may have been the card itself, although Windows reported the card was fine.

That may be hardware. You could have run Furmark to stress the card.

You are right; but I ran out of patience and time. I needed my 'puter up and running - and it was an excuse to upgrade.

 

[helmutcheese]

The truth is x64 uses more resources, and has a lot more problems, especially driver issues.

Unless I have 4GB or more of RAM, I install the 32-bit version. I don't see any sense risking BSODs, using more resources, and having the few incompatible programs when I only have 2GB.

Driver issues ?

You mean years ago right ?

32bit is a dinosaur and a total waste of modern hardware (not just memory).

That outlook is exactly why many are still running XP 32bit and will never move forward.

 

[Product FRED]

I partially agree. I think that for consumer usage, the transition to 64-bit is already happening. It's becoming more mainstream than ever before for companies such as Dell and HP to offer 64-bit versions of Windows 7 as standard features. Hell, even Mac OSX Snow Leopard is 64-bit. For legacy applications though, 32-bit is still a must, and, again, what I meant is that 32-bit should be left for compatibility purposes.

 

[whs]

I happen to have both - 32bit and 64bit Windows7. In my book the 32bit is to be preferred with up to 4GB of RAM. The 64bit gives me nothing but problems whilst the 32bit is smooth sailing since RTM was released. The problem is that all preinstalled systems seem to be 64bit these days. I needed a new laptop and there was no way to find a decent system with 32bit. I will not touch 64bit again until they have done their homework and buy a 32bir OEM license to replace the 64bit system on my 4GB laptop. 64bit reminds me the early days of Vista.

 

[Frostmourne]

I happen to have both - 32bit and 64bit Windows7. In my book the 32bit is to be preferred with up to 4GB of RAM. The 64bit gives me nothing but problems whilst the 32bit is smooth sailing since RTM was released. The problem is that all preinstalled systems seem to be 64bit these days. i needed a new laptop and there was no way to find a decent system with 32bit. I will not touch 64bit again until they have done their homework and buy a 32bir OEM license to replace the 64bit system on my 4GB laptop. 64bit reminds me the early days of Vista.

Not here - clean installed the laptop in my specs, built the other 2 systems - all have x64, all are perfectly stable.

 

[zigzag3143]

The truth is x64 uses more resources, and has a lot more problems, especially driver issues.

Unless I have 4GB or more of RAM, I install the 32-bit version. I don't see any sense risking BSODs, using more resources, and having the few incompatible programs when I only have 2GB.

Driver issues ?

You mean years ago right ?

32bit is a dinosaur and a total waste of modern hardware (not just memory).

That outlook is exactly why many are still running XP 32bit and will never move forward.

yes driver issues, not years ago but now.

32bit is a dinosaur but were it not for an asteroid dinosaurs would still rule.

And just as many will stay on 64 bit when the next latest agreateset comes out in 128 bit

This is a discussion every has an opinion on and it probably wont die
\

 

[Frostmourne]

Shame games are mostly still 32-bit. The 2GB limit for apps in that address space is annoying.

 

[whs]

I happen to have both - 32bit and 64bit Windows7. In my book the 32bit is to be preferred with up to 4GB of RAM. The 64bit gives me nothing but problems whilst the 32bit is smooth sailing since RTM was released. The problem is that all preinstalled systems seem to be 64bit these days. i needed a new laptop and there was no way to find a decent system with 32bit. I will not touch 64bit again until they have done their homework and buy a 32bir OEM license to replace the 64bit system on my 4GB laptop. 64bit reminds me the early days of Vista.

Not here - clean installed the laptop in my specs, built the other 2 systems - all have x64, all are perfectly stable.

Well, maybe you were lucky. But mine is slow - it feels like my vintage Vista laptop from Febr. 2007 that has a lesser CPU and only half as much RAM - and they are both Gateways.
Then there are a few programs I use that do not run. The thing is only a few weeks old and I have hardly installed anything on it because I use it only for teaching at the computer club. So my outlook is not bright.

 

[win7clutz]

I happen to have both - 32bit and 64bit Windows7. In my book the 32bit is to be preferred with up to 4GB of RAM. The 64bit gives me nothing but problems whilst the 32bit is smooth sailing since RTM was released. The problem is that all preinstalled systems seem to be 64bit these days. I needed a new laptop and there was no way to find a decent system with 32bit. I will not touch 64bit again until they have done their homework and buy a 32bir OEM license to replace the 64bit system on my 4GB laptop. 64bit reminds me the early days of Vista.

I couldn't agree more...

A 10 year client called a few weeks ago and needed a new laptop. They insisted on Win 7 and wanted it today. I went to my local Staples and picked up a new Dell running X64. I’m not a Dell fan but had limited choices. Since then, it’s been nothing but GRIEF!

Constant lockups, ongoing BSOF’s, extremely slow, and a constant pain in the A$$! Since the release of this product, which is only 2 months, Dell has 2 bios updates, updates for all loaded applications, and has not been able to resolve the issues.

I would guess that if it was running 32bit instead of 64 this would not be a problem. As I continually monitor these kind of post I don’t understand why MS hasn’t addressed the clear issues that exist with x64…

 

[Product FRED]

Yeah, I don't understand what you're all griping about. I run x64 and it's perfectly fine. The one thing that won't run is Trackmania: Sunrise, but that's incompatible with Windows 7 altogether. I haven't had a single crash and I've been running this thing since December. Surely you can't blame these crashes and lockups on x64 altogether? This is like the transition from MS-DOS to Windows 95, aka 16-bit to 32-bit. 64-bit is the future. You forget that you can run 32-bit VMs in a 64-bit OS if you want compatibility.

 

[YTBOY83]

I prefer X64 seeing as it can read more RAM than 32.

Plus windows 7 64 can run 32bit clients.