Windows 7
Choosing between 32- or 64-bit Windows
By Fred Langa
Windows Secrets Newsletter • Issue 236 • 2010-03-18

Michael Norman is facing a purchase decision.
  • "I'm finding it difficult to decide whether to get a 64- or 32-bit Windows PC. Since I plan on keeping several old peripherals (printer, scanner), I'm tempted to go with 32-bit. I'd appreciate a rundown."
Check with the manufacturers of the old peripherals you mention. See whether 64-bit drivers are available. If they are, you're golden — you can move to 64-bit Windows and still use your older hardware.

If not, then 32-bit Windows is probably a better choice for you. Buy a 32-bit PC and load it with the maximum 4GB of RAM (that's the physical limit for normal 32-bit memory addressing), and you'll be good to go for the next several years.

In any case, remember that the main benefit of 64-bit hardware is access to vast amounts of RAM. Only a relatively small number of users today truly require more than the 4GB supported by 32-bit hardware.

If you want to dig into the topic, see Ehow.com's article, "How to determine if you need more RAM in your computer" <http://www.ehow.com/how_5060778_determine-need-ram-computer.html>, or Microsoft's less-detailed article, "Determine how much RAM you have and how much you need" <http://www.microsoft.com/athome/setup/addmemory.aspx>.

The well-regarded TomsHardware.com site also looked in depth at the question of memory size, publishing an article suggesting that 4GB to 6GB of RAM is the sweet spot for most users today — 6GB for those 64-bit systems and kludged 32-bit machines that can support it, and 4GB for standard 32-bit systems.
<http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264-8.html>

For most of us, 32-bit hardware and software are still perfectly fine to buy and use!

Copyright © 2010 by WindowsSecrets.com LLC.

[Dale Note: Running Win7 Upgrade Advisor on old system with all peripherals connected and powered up will give you a useful report on how those peripherals will fare in Win7. It's available at:
<http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx>.]

(Win7_32or64.htm)