32 vs 64? Only 2 gigs ram :-(

[Odder]

Have both win7 beta 1 distros - 32 & 64.

3+ year old laptop. amd 64 2.2 gig, dual core.

2 gigs ram - machine maxes out at 2 :-(

4 gig readyboost flash stick - if that matters....

Will 64 be worth installing?

With only 2 gigs ram max, will it be any better than using 32? Any worse?

Suggestions and consensus please....

Thanx for the help.

 

[smarteyeball]

You aren't going to see any benefit on x64 with only 2 gig. I'd go with x32.

Readyboost really only creates a quick access pagefile on your stick, so it's not really a 'ram upgrade' so to speak.

 

[96accord]

I agree. Stick with x32.

 

[ittech]

concurr. i have two toshiba satellite a200's running win7, one build 7000, the other build 7022 both 32 bit and they fly. i did load the 64 bit os on one but with only 2gb ram in the unit it struggled. given my two test laps are about 16 or 18 months old, they probably are not worth the cost of another 2 gb system memory, but they are business machines, not gaming, although perfectly capable of running media center nicely.

your flashboost or in my case turbo boost capability i have never put very much stock in myself.

 

[Odder]

First, thank you all for your comments - both public and private.

Some are saying with only 2 gigs of ram, you will notice no real difference, so stick with 32.

Some are saying, 64 is better and about much more than just what you get from having more ram, so go with 64.

Some of the latter people seem to be 'crusading' for the use of 64 - although not many of them have only 2 gigs of ram.

I don't want to use 32 if 64 will work better even with only 2 gigs of ram.

And I don't want to use 64 just because '64 is the wave of the future', if there will be a performance hit or some other kind of a problem because of using only 2 gigs of ram.

So now I am a bit confused :-(

I hope I have made sense here....

I know that this is not a very important question overall, but I just want to install the right one on the partition I have set up for it.

 

[smarteyeball]

Have a read through this and see if helps clear it up for you:

64-bit: More than just the RAM - Vista Forums

 

[ambientmf]

My T61p has only 2GB of RAM and from my experience with both 7 x86 and x86-64, I would stick with 32-bit Windows 7.
Most of my applications in x64 run fine, however some of the memory hogs especially gaming run very sluggish on my machine, where they would normally fly in 32-bit.

That's just my opinion though, from my experience with the two versions.

 

[limneos]

Let me help you of your confusion:

A 64-bit system is better , if you have >=4GB RAM. Manipulates all available RAM, and does a few more tricks as you can read on the articles above.

A 32-bit system is better if you have <3GB RAM though, mainly because 64-bit systems need more RAM to use the RAM amount equally as 32-bit would do.

A 64-bit system will consume more RAM for the same process that a 32-bit system would consume less.
So it's not only that you should use it when having larger RAM than 3GB, but it's also that you shouldn't use it with less, cause the benefits then are a few and the disadvantages more.

So , to conclude, having 2Gigs, go for 32-bit.
If you buy more RAM , don't think about it. Go for 64-bit.

 

[ittech]

....you can install additional system memory to take advantage of the 64 bit os if you elect to go that way...but..


besides the os being able when running 64 bit to address the additional ram, your laptop itself will have limitations on the amount of ram it can use. you will need to check your manufacturers website or consult your manual, as well as your bios.

my toshiba no matter what, will only address 4 gb maximum. flashing bios, even if possible should only be done to correct an identified problem resolved in bios updates, not for the pleasureable experience and giggles of the experiment. where i am high quality system memory (crucial or kingston are the only i would personally use) for laps run pricey. you can go the grey market manufacturers but why introduce another unknown into the equation. my laps aren't worth the upgrade but perform very nicely indeed on 2 gb memory and windows 7 32 bit, well enough to see service for at least another couple of years as configured for the present. the age of your laptop would indicate checking the spec data carefully, if not a toshiba, hp or possibly a sony, i would approach any intention to go 64 bit even with an upgrade to memory, cautiously.