which is better for gaming 32 bit or 64 bit

[Ashin5]

Hi, I have 4 gb DDR2 RAM(800Mhz),Intel Core 2 duo 2.66Ghz,2.67 Ghz CPU(X86),1 gb Nvidia Geforce 210 GPU,previously i was using windows 7(32 bit) when i used to have 2gb ram, but when i increased my ram to 4gb it did not detect it.It only read 2.75 gb.so i switched back to windows xp professional(32 bit).but the result is the same.i want my ram not to be wasted... I want to access full 4gb of it and want to have best and smooth gaming performance out of my present pc configuration that i mentioned... So should i install Windows 7 (64 bit)?? will it work on my X86 cpu and serve my purpose??if not then what is the alternative solution? I'm confused.. Plz give me proper advice.....
,regards..........

 

[Anthony]

Your cpu is 64bit compatible and will benefit with 4GB or more memory. Some older games don't utilize the 64bit cpu, Most modern ones do.

If you fill in your system specs we can help you why your memory is not showing all 4GBs

Thanks

 

[Ashin5]

My system specs are

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation

System Manufacturer Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model G31M-S2L
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 23 Stepping 6 GenuineIntel ~2666 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Award Software International, Inc. F7C, 7/30/2008
SMBIOS Version 2.4

Total Physical Memory 4,096.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 2.40 GB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 4.59 GB

CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 duo E7300 @ 2.66GHz,2.67Ghz
GPU: 1GB Nvidia Geforce 210
RAM: 2 X 2GB DDR2(800 PC),Dual channel Interleaved
HArd Disk: 250 Gb SAT install Windows 7 (64 bit)

Can I install Windows 7(64 bit)? will my cpu perform smoothly or may i have some problems?can i get best gaming performance out of my present pc configuration by installing windows 7(64 bit)?

 

[M1GU31]

64bit because you have 4gbs of ram and will be able to use more mem.Also go to the start bar and type msconfig and press enter. When in msconfig click on the tab called boot then advanced options below. Then tick the box called maximum memory and it should read all of it then save it and reboot. For four gbs of ram it should say 4096 after you tick the box maximum memory or type in the number into that area and when done click apply. Also check in the bios to make sure your motherboard is reading all the memory and make sure your mobo supports more then 2gbs of ram.When you right click my computer then go to properties it should say 4.00gb of ram installed.

 

[Solarstarshines]

Actually Win7 32Bit is 3.75GB usable if you are down to 2.60GB usable then either your graphics needed some or it is allocated and saved because you don't need that much to run what you do

Win7 64 bit will truly let you use all your ram unless you don't have a dedicated GPU which the ram will be used more to make up for the lack of power that a deducated gpu would bring

The best way to first find out what is going on with your ram is to bring up Process from, Task manager click performance then resource monitor

it should look like this

Basicly showing where your ram is going and why it is behaving that way
doing above advice does work in some cases but ..............most of us have it unchecked to utalize more ram

I would say do this first and see how your ram is being used then from there you can proceed to what you feel is right

 

[sygnus21]

I agree with Solarstarshines.

Besides I’ve always disagreed with this tip



because it’s mainly for testing purposes and Windows does a pretty good job of managing the memory on its own without that box checked.

And a 64-bit OS will see all the RAM you have installed anyway, a 32-bit OS is basically 3.5gig or less memory limited (if you count the video card(s)) so checking the box there won't magically give you "more" RAM.

So unless you want to "limit" the amount of RAM used by the system, mainly the 64-bit OS, there’s no need in checking that box.

http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/147214-boot-advanced-options.html#post1262195
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/66482-memory-set-maximum-amount-used-windows-7-a.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...um-amount-used-windows-7-a-3.html#post1976821
http://www.sevenforums.com/performa...only-2-93gb-usable-my-4gb-ram.html#post886444

My two cents.

 

[Alejandro85]

It IS possible to make 32 bits OSs to recognize up to 64GB RAM, but it's not easy at all, and Windows 7 has this option blocked by default. After Googling a lot, I once managed to make that work once, a few years back. Look for something to enable PAE mode in 32 bits system and that does the trick.

All games I know are x86 and will not profit anything from being on a x64 Windows. You may see a performance improvement if you use specifically made x64 programs. So, if the computer will serve only and exclusively for gaming purposes, I would stick to 32 bits OS, else go for 64 bits.

 

[sygnus21]

It IS possible to make 32 bits OSs to recognize up to 64GB RAM, but it's not easy at all, and Windows 7 has this option blocked by default. After Googling a lot, I once managed to make that work once, a few years back. Look for something to enable PAE mode in 32 bits system and that does the trick.

While it is theoretically possibly to do, it’s not necessarily worth the headache of trying to accomplish it for such a small gain. Point being if it was easy, and worth it, everyone would be doing it, and not going with a 64-bit OS.

At any rate that can be debated for another thread as it’s not applicable here.

All games I know are x86 and will not profit anything from being on a x64 Windows. You may see a performance improvement if you use specifically made x64 programs. So, if the computer will serve only and exclusively for gaming purposes, I would stick to 32 bits OS, else go for 64 bits.

Most games today are optimized to run on a 64-bit OS and some games, even older ones like Far Cry (the first one) will have a dedicated 64-bit exe file for running the game on a 64-bit OS. Crysis (the first one) and Crysis Warhead also have 64-bit exe files.






The other reason to run games on a 64-bit OS is of course the the RAM, the more, the better. As stated 32-bit OS is basically limited to 3.5gig. ANd more and more games are requiring at least 4 gig of RAM to run in fully optimized with all the bells and whistles.

Skyrim and Dragon Age 2 for example state 4gig of RAM to run the enhanched graphics package that you can download.

Bottom line: A lot of games will be made to run on a 64-bit OS because it's the dominant OS out, plus the fact that it can run more RAM.

 

[dwarfer66]

I had a similar problem with Half-Life HD and Skyrim, on 32bit with 3gb ram when playing those games with the HD packs would always crash, built a 64bit (new system) with 8gb ram, now problems now.

 

[M1GU31]

I agree with Solarstarshines.

Besides I’ve always disagreed with this tip



because it’s mainly for testing purposes and Windows does a pretty good job of managing the memory on its own without that box checked.

And a 64-bit OS will see all the RAM you have installed anyway, a 32-bit OS is basically 3.5gig or less memory limited (if you count the video card(s)) so checking the box there won't magically give you "more" RAM.

So unless you want to "limit" the amount of RAM used by the system, mainly the 64-bit OS, there’s no need in checking that box.

http://www.sevenforums.com/performance-maintenance/147214-boot-advanced-options.html#post1262195
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/66482-memory-set-maximum-amount-used-windows-7-a.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorial...um-amount-used-windows-7-a-3.html#post1976821
http://www.sevenforums.com/performa...only-2-93gb-usable-my-4gb-ram.html#post886444

My two cents.

Yes but it could be that it has marked for 2gbs when indeed he has 4gbs of ram. So that is a easy way to get windows to see all the ram if windows by default doesn't see it. I have mine unchecked and it sees all my 4gbs of ram but I have seen folks computers were it was set to say 1 or 2gb of ram but they had 4 or more and manually setting it or un-ticking the box would show all their available memory after a reboot.Also the tip was for when he installed the win 7 64bit OS which he said was not seeing all his memory so he reverted back to win xp 32bit if you read the ops post.

 

[sygnus21]

There are plenty of posts here where people have had memery issues or where Windows wasn't able see all the RAM installed because that box was checked.

At any rate the box is for testing purposes and really doen't need to be checked, especially on a 64-bit OS, unless you want to limit the RAM, or do some testing to see if all the RAM is being used. It could also cause memory issues, especially if you have an intergrated video card. Again, I refer to Binks tutorial I linked to earlier.

Anyway my suggestion is to not check that box but to each his own, and if you feel it works for you well...

Peace

 

[x BlueRobot]

64-bit operating system will allow you install and use more RAM, however, make sure your motherboard is able to support the type of memory you are installing, as well as, the amount being installed.

 

[Ashin5]

gradually decaying of ram

i have win 7 64 bit os .....i hv 4gb ram ,bt just after booting initially i saw from system information that my total physical memory is 4 gb,installed memory is also 4gb & available memory reads 3.21 gb or so... but if i start to do anything & after having finished that task & closing that particular application (browser,games etc) completely whn i recheked it i found my total & installed physical memory read the same as previous but the available physical memory comes down to 2.73gb or something like that..

i can't guess wht's wrong ..plz suggest me solution for stopping this..

thanks in advance

 

[sygnus21]

i have win 7 64 bit os .....i hv 4gb ram ,bt just after booting initially i saw from system information that my total physical memory is 4 gb,installed memory is also 4gb & available memory reads 3.21 gb or so... but if i start to do anything & after having finished that task & closing that particular application (browser,games etc) completely whn i recheked it i found my total & installed physical memory read the same as previous but the available physical memory comes down to 2.73gb or something like that..

i can't guess wht's wrong ..plz suggest me solution for stopping this..

thanks in advance

Please don't take this the wrong way but....

1 - Speaking in sms (text message terms) can only lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings, and doesn't clearly get accross your issue. Not everyone understands hv, whn, wht's and plz. This is a technical forum, not a social networking site.

2 - Fill in your systems specs. Not doing so can only lead to guess work and frustration on both sides. And in this case, we really do need them for your issue.

That said we need system specs and a clear explaination of what going on with your system - minus the sms talk.

Thanks.

 

[Ashin5]

I have updated my system specifications...

i have win 7 64 bit os .....i have 4gb ram ,bt just after booting initially i saw from system information that my total physical memory is 4 gb,installed memory is also 4gb & available memory reads 3.21 gb or so... but if i start to do anything (launching any applications, e.g. - browsers,games etc) & after having finished that task & closing that particular application completely when i recheck it i get my total & installed physical memory amount same as previous but the available physical memory comes down close to 2.6,2.7gb or something like that..

i can't guess what is wrong ..please suggest me solution for stopping this..

Hope i have clearly specified my problems this time....

thanks in advance

 

[sygnus21]

OK, I think, I know what you're asking but see these posts/threads to see if that answers your questions....

- http://www.sevenforums.com/performa...-memory-but-1-74-gb-usable-4.html#post1650067
- http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware-devices/148654-memory-ram-2.html#post1276662

And this one, just in case - http://www.sevenforums.com/hardware...7-8gb-ram-only-3-99gb-usable.html#post2079669

Let me (us) know.

 

[Richardc269]

I have updated my system specifications...

i have win 7 64 bit os .....i have 4gb ram ,bt just after booting initially i saw from system information that my total physical memory is 4 gb,installed memory is also 4gb & available memory reads 3.21 gb or so... but if i start to do anything (launching any applications, e.g. - browsers,games etc) & after having finished that task & closing that particular application completely when i recheck it i get my total & installed physical memory amount same as previous but the available physical memory comes down close to 2.6,2.7gb or something like that..

i can't guess what is wrong ..please suggest me solution for stopping this..

Hope i have clearly specified my problems this time....

thanks in advance

Depending on what game(s) you're going to play, more available RAM is a good idea. A game such as Civilization 4 (with a mod called "Rise of Mankind: A New Dawn) adds so much stuff to the game that 4 gigs of RAM is pretty much minimum required to play for a long length of time. There's not a whole lot of games out there that use huge amounts of RAM. If you want to use the 64-Bit system, I suggest getting 6 or even 8 gigs of RAM. 64-Bit systems with only 4 gigs is pretty pointless.

 

[boogieboy]

Simple Answer:

Gaming is better on 64bit.. and why? Well with 32bit OS you are limited to use less than 4GB of RAM where on 64bit you can have as much RAM as you want.

+ you can run all your 32bit applications as well. Just like everyday computing

 

[Ashin5]

Well .... I have checked from resource monitor that my installed memory -> 4096 mb,Total memory -> 4094 mb,
hardware reserved->2 mb,modified memory ->20 to 22 mb(it fluctuates),but the available memory(standby + free) is initially say 3.3 or 3.4 gb just after booting but after launching any applications (that I mentioned before) it is coming down to 2.57 gb or 2.7 gb or something like that.... & memory in use is showing 1498 mb(+- 5 mb).. i want to know is it normal to have available memory nearly 2.5 gb while i have 4gb of installed memory??

 

[boogieboy]

Well .... I have checked from resource monitor that my installed memory -> 4096 mb,Total memory -> 4094 mb,
hardware reserved->2 mb,modified memory ->20 to 22 mb(it fluctuates),but the available memory(standby + free) is initially say 3.3 or 3.4 gb just after booting but after launching any applications (that I mentioned before) it is coming down to 2.57 gb or 2.7 gb or something like that.... & memory in use is showing 1498 mb(+- 5 mb).. i want to know is it normal to have available memory nearly 2.5 gb while i have 4gb of installed memory??

hmmm that does'nt sound normal to me but it does'nt mean the memory went bad or something. This is definetely a software related issue not hardware.

Download CPU-Z from the link below and run it then post screen shots of Memory Tab:
CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting