Windows 7 32 or 64bit?

Got Windows 7 on the way as I just found I qualify to get it for the cost of shipping after buying a new laptop last year.

Spec is Intel Core2 Duo T6400 and 3GB Ram.

Any advice as to install 32 or 64 bit versions?

Mainly use IE, Office 2007, Photoshop Elements and iTunes.

All drivers for both 32 and 64 bit version are availble from manufacturers website.

Thanks

Less than 2Gb ram = 32bit, more = 64bit.

I'd go with 64 bit - will handle 32 bit apps as well as 64 bit (the main 64 bit app I use in Ligthroom )

In reply to a post by Kenneth:

I'd go with 64 bit - will handle 32 bit apps as well as 64 bit (the main 64 bit app I use in Ligthroom )

2nd that too - go for 64bit unless you have a compelling reason to go for 32bit such an application or that your computer can doing 64bit .

I believe that Microsoft now see 64-bit as the "standard" operating system and they seem, after a slightly shaky start with XP and a better effort with Vista, to have got it right this time. This is the area that they will be concentrating all future efforts in.

I can think of no reason to install the 32-bit version (unless you have a 32-bit processor). I'm pretty sure that if you can't find a 64-bit Windows 7 driver for some piece of hardware you won't be able to find a 32-bit one either.

In reply to a post by chicken_stu:

Mainly use IE, Office 2007, Photoshop Elements and iTunes.

fwiw, you can switch to office 2010 x64 and itunes x64 too. IE comes in a 64bit version but it's no good without Flash.

IE comes in a 64bit version but it's no good without Flash.

That's one of the advantages of the 64-bit version as far as I'm concerned. Now if only it didn't work with JavaScript as well....

In reply to a post by Taras:

In reply to a post by Kenneth:

I'd go with 64 bit - will handle 32 bit apps as well as 64 bit (the main 64 bit app I use in Ligthroom )

2nd that too - go for 64bit unless you have a compelling reason to go for 32bit such an application or that your computer can doing 64bit .

I will 3rd that, that is as long as you can get 64 bit drivers for all the hardware. I have two webcams here that will not work with with windows 7 64bit due to know 64 bit drivers.

In reply to a post by AnotherExPipex:

Now if only it didn't work with JavaScript as well....

You can install both, which is what I've done. I dual-boot between them, with the default set to the 64-bit version. (I did this because my ancient slide scanner absolutely would not work with 64-bit - in fact, not the scanner so much as the SCSI port it attaches to.)

I had lengthy discussions with Microsoft about the legality of doing this, and eventually I was told that it was OK, as of course I'd only be using one at a time! So I could use the same activation code, and had absolutely no problem with this.

(Edit) I have 6 gig of RAM.

Edited by deleted (Mon 14-Dec-09 06:50:31)