Thread: Contemplating Vista Ultimate 64 Bit

Hi Folks,

I'm contemplating buying an OEM copy of Vista Ultimate 64 Bit for my desktop. It currently has and came preinstalled with Vista Home Premium 32-Bit.

Everyone whom I've talked to about 64 bit raves about how much faster it is than 32 on the same machine. My question is I have a dual-core processor so it definitely compatible but is there anything else I should look out for? I seen something about motherboard incompatibility mentioned elsewhere on the web. My video card is a nVidia, I'm more than sure there are drivers for that.. I really cannot see anything not working.

What else should I look for compatability wise on the hardware side before I purchase? I'd be buying an OEM copy so I cannot just move it to another computer if it doesn't work.

Cheers,
Dan

in general, 64bit is slower for a home computer than 32bit... a surprising fact.

Originally Posted by Big Dan

Hi Folks,

I'm contemplating buying an OEM copy of Vista Ultimate 64 Bit for my desktop. It currently has and came preinstalled with Vista Home Premium 32-Bit.

Everyone whom I've talked to about 64 bit raves about how much faster it is than 32 on the same machine. My question is I have a dual-core processor so it definitely compatible but is there anything else I should look out for? I seen something about motherboard incompatibility mentioned elsewhere on the web. My video card is a nVidia, I'm more than sure there are drivers for that.. I really cannot see anything not working.

What else should I look for compatability wise on the hardware side before I purchase? I'd be buying an OEM copy so I cannot just move it to another computer if it doesn't work.

Cheers,
Dan

Anton is correct. What are your system specs. If it were me I would probably stay with 32.

I have 64bit on my laptop.
2.1ghz, 4gig ram.
Runs wonderful,
But I have a 3.1/6 rating becuase I have a shitty vid card.


My suggestion,
post your specs! :P

I'd forget about the 64bit unless there is a specific (and compelling) reason to do it.
You will have to get all new 64bit drivers and it isn't always as easy as you might think.
And, don't just think about the hardware currently in the machine, you also have to worry about future hardware (upgrades) having 64bit drivers.

Thanks Folks. I forgot to post that I have 64 bit Ubuntu running smoothly on here, even with the propriety nVidia drivers.

My system specs are here: http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...reg_R1002_USEN

It's too long to list everything but I'll list the basics:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 (B) 4800+ 2.5 GHz (65W)
RAM: 3 GB PC2-5300 MB/sec
Video: GeForce 6150SE nForce 430

All in all I am happy with the over all speed of my system. It's a helluva a lot better than my old desktop (1.7 Ghz P4 w/ 512 MB RAM) but I really want to buy a boxed version of Vista as the restore discs I made are scratched and I'm not sure how long they're going to hold up. In addition the HP Image is filled with all kinds of garbage when I do a fresh install I want a fresh install not all kinds of trail games and the like! I figure if I'm going to shell out ~$200 for a DVD I mise well get something extra out of it.