I suppose many of you are already using Windows 7 RC in a productive environment. Most IT pros, however, will probably only switch to Windows 7 once they can get their hands on Windows 7 RTM. The first question will be whether to install Windows 7 x86 or Windows 7 x64, i.e. the 32-bit or 64-bit edition. This will be the topic for my next four articles. For today, I’ll just share the experience I’ve had with Vista x64. The next three posts will focus on Windows 7.

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Update: I am working on a new series about the Vista x86 vs. Vista x64 issue. The first one covers the speed issue. The other article in this series will follow soon. You might also be interested in my post about the 3GB barrier. The discussion there is interesting. But now go ahead and read this one first.

Sometime ago, I published an article about a performance comparison between 64-bit and 32-bit editions of Windows. This post got quite a few hits, recently. Meanwhile, it has rank 8 of all posts here on 4sysops (see right sidebar). Obviously, many seem to be undecided which Vista edition they would like to use. In this post, I summarized the pros and cons of Vista x64 and Vista x86.

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In my last post, I described my experiences with Vista x64. Today I will focus on two important topics related to the Windows 7 64-bit vs. Windows 32-bit controversy: memory and performance.

Memory

The most significant advantage of a 64-bit system is that it can use more than 4GB of RAM. One thing that has changed since I last concerned myself with this topic is that most new desktops and laptops now come with at least 4GB of RAM. The problem is that like Vista, Windows 7 x86 is capable of only using about 3 GB of RAM. By contrast, Windows 7 x64 cannot only make use of up to 16TB 192GB RAM, but is capable of using the memory remapping feature of modern BIOSes, which allows the operating system to really use the complete 4GB. Thus, if you install Windows 7 64-bit on a 4 GB machine you won’t waste 1 GB of RAM like you would with Windows 7 32-bit.

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This is the third post in my series about the Windows 7 64-bit vs. Windows 7 32-bit series. In the last two posts in this series I shared my experiences with Vista x64 and I discussed the arguments with regards to RAM and performance. In the past, the main reason that many admins were afraid to deploy a 64-bit operating system on desktops and laptops was due to compatibility concerns. In this article, I will discuss whether this is still an issue.

Software Compatibility

When Vista was released, many independent software vendors (ISVs) were not prepared, even though, it was the longest beta phase in the history of Windows releases. Because of the huge structural changes, quite a few applications didn’t run properly on Vista. I think, this was the main reason why Vista x64 was not really an option for most organizations that were planning an upgrade, as the move to 64-bit would have only caused additional headaches.

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I already discussed the Vista x64 vs. Vista x86 question a year ago. Vista was just released and for the early adopters, the first decision to be made was which edition, i.e. 32-bit or 64-bit, would be the better choice. At this time, I was skeptical regarding Vista x64, mostly because the advantages didn’t outweigh the downsides. It is time now to reconsider this question since the main disadvantages of the 64-bit version (hardware and software compatibility) might not be such an issue anymore.

I was planning to do some research already for some time, but fortunately the German print magazine C’t (8/2008) just published a couple of comprehensive reports about this topic. So I will summarize some of their findings garnished with my own views. Today, I will focus on performance and in my next posts in this series, I will discuss software compatibility and hardware compatibility.

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In my last post in this series, I discussed the question whether the 64-bit edition of Windows Vista is faster than its 32-bit version. I came to the conclusion that working with Vista x64 only makes sense if you need more than 3GB memory. The other interesting topic is if compatibility to the 32-bit world is still an issue 16 months after Vista’s release. Today I discuss software compatibility, in my next post in this series I’ll write about hardware compatbilty.

When I wrote about this subject shortly after Vista came out, I more or less voted against installing Vista x64. My main point was that Vista will already cause enough compatibility problems. So it is certainly better to limit the number of possible culprits. At that time, I didn’t imagine that Vista adoption would be this slow, though. So I decided to wait for a year or so until most of Vista’s general problems are solved. I hoped that software and hardware vendors would start embracing Vista x64 as soon as they got the 32-bit version under control.

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This is the third post in my series about the Vista x64 vs. Vista x86 issue. In my first article, I claimed that CPU performance is not really a good reason to jump on the 64-bit bandwagon at the moment. In my last article, I wrote that software compatibility is only a theoretical problem now, and today, I want to discuss hardware compatibility.

Availability of 64-bit device drivers

The fundamental difference between software and hardware compatibility is that most 32-bit apps work flawlessly on Vista x64, whereas 32-bit device drivers are usually useless on a 64-bit Windows. Hence unlike software vendors, hardware vendors have no other choice than to offer 32-bit drivers and 64-bit drivers for their devices. Additionally, only drivers signed by Microsoft will work on Vista x64. This certainly improves security because kernel mode drivers are an attractive target for malware.

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I must admit I am really surprised by the result of this poll. Two-thirds of my readers prefer Vista x64 to Vista x86. More than 1000 of you took part in this poll. If you believe in the validity of this data, you must come to the conclusion that the transition to 64 Bit is already underway on desktops. However, it is a matter of fact that 4sysops readers are not typical computer users. Obviously, the majority of my readers are more tech savvy than the average computer user, and therefore more open to technological changes.

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Okay, this is the last post in my series about the 32-bit or 64-bit question. I don’t expect this poll to be generally valid since 4sysops readers are probably more adventurous when it comes to adopting new technologies. IT pros are used to fighting with computer-related problems all day. So they are not that much frightened of theoretical troubles that a new operating might pose.

Usually, that also applies to me. I am still a bit hesitant to make the 64-bit move, though. I will buy a new laptop soon and I am considering of equipping it with 4GB because I want to run VMware Workstation on it. So I am curious to know your view. You might have read my posts on Vista x64 or have made up your mind already. Perhaps, you even have experiences of your own. Some of you already shared your opinion in my original post about that issue.

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