Q: (from Steve)
If you have a machine with a lot of RAM and a huge hard drive, are there any issues with running the 32 bit version of W7? Is the issue that you’re basically forgoing the opportunity to run a richer version of the OS since your machine could support it, or on big machines, do you need to run the 64 bit?
A:
This question opens up the bigger question of performance and compatibility of 32 bit applications on a 64 bit platform:
You don’t HAVE to run Windows 7 on a “big” machine, but you might not be able to access all of the RAM. The 32 bit version of any Microsoft OS is only able to access 4GB of RAM; the 64 bit version can access more. Even if you are only running 32 bit apps, a 64 bit OS will let EACH app access up to 4GB of RAM (read better performance) while a 32 bit OS makes all of the apps share the same 4GB.
But 32 bit applications running under a 64 bit OS may take a slight performance hit because the processor is forced to switch from 64 bit mode to 32 bit mode each time the application talks to the OS.
The bottom line:
- If you are using standard, desktop applications, you probably won’t notice the performance gain or hit – you can choose either OS.
- If you are using “big” 32 bit photo a movie editing applications, the extra memory of 64 bit might provide some extra performance.
- But until all of the parts: the OS, the device drivers, and the applications are 64 bit, we will not see the full potential of 64 bit hardware realized. The good news is the that Windows is 64 bit now; many drivers are; and the next version of Office 2010 will be available in a 64 bit edition.