I just bought the A305 Toshiba with Vista Premium, do you think moving to a 64 bit version is necessary?
64bit OS's are definitely going to be necessary in the near future. You can only do so much with 2GB of RAM for applications(Yes only 2GB not 4GB[2GB applications/2GB OS]). Although currently this limitation effects Desktops far more than laptops because it is easier to exceed 4GB of Physical memory, but that is not the only issue. As new applications take up more memory eventually the user is going to exceed 4GB of total memory usage while just using the desktop (2GB Application + 2GB OS (Virtual Memory/ Graphics/ Other System memory)). Having a 64-bit OS will allow you to exceed these limitations and allow programs to have access to more memory than it would usually have access to. Heck it's the future, I don't see why all these companies have been clinging to a dead computing platform for so long.
I really like your comment! I personally thinks that Vista stinks all the way! It's a bloated system. It's like a hog just draining resources. Why would one use a system which requires 2GB of RAM to work correctly and 4GB of RAM if one is really serious about good gaming performance? That really sucks! I use XP because of the games and Linux when I want to do more serious stuff.
Personally the only benefit I have seen in Ultimate 32bit is DX10, built in DVD burning ability and it's back-up ability. Other than that I fail to see any reason to upgrade.
It never ceases to give me a chuckle when i read this from ill educated people on the net, sucked into the whole "OMG, I see vista is using 1gb of ram, Windows XP only uses 200 meg!". You know why? Vista is caching OS functionality so when you come to access features and instruction sets, they are preloaded and ready immediately. Windows XP was always lacking behind various linux distros in regards to this. Many business based Linux operating systems will use all free memory to speed up the responsiveness for the end user. Memory which is needed for other tasks is cleared immediately when required. Its preadaptive/emptive caching and XP doesn't use it.
2GB of top quality/Fast ram is more than enough to run Vista (32 bit) coupled with a decent G/C...For myself am still in two minds to keep with my current setup or double my ram to 4GB since sp1 was released for vista.I just have not seen enough to convince me about this yet. Switching to a Intel Dual Core cpu 7 months ago did help out Vista's performance greatly.I do agree vista is aimed towards relatively modern pc setups. But as far as i see from your post. You have said in a similar way to the windows xp's release over windows 98se.A little like Deja vu in some ways.
Well if you stay with Vista 32-bit you are only going to see < 1.5GB of that RAM because of your Videocard and if you update it later on to a card with more that 512MB of RAM you are going to see even less of it. Which makes me wonder why Microsoft even bothered with Vista 32-bit in the first place. There is no place for a 32-bit OS when it comes to the modern computer. Vista is supposed to be a modern OS why is it still 32-bit. I know 2GB is fine for now, but that is now. I don't think Windows 7 is going to come out before most computers have 4GB of RAM so this just makes matters worse. I just hope there is no 32-bit Windows 7 it would just be ridiculous.
No its not necessary. It is certainly a better OS but 32bit Vista Premium should be fine for all your needs. Just be aware if you upgrade to 4GB of ram you will possibly only see around 3GB of it. I bought 2x2gb modules for a bargain price (£40 in total), and have just installed 64bit ultimate on mine. works a treat.
i am aware of the ram issues with 32bit..Being self employed and rely heavily on the uk weather.I do want to switch to 64bit vista and upgrade my GC later this year,but that will depend on money. As my mobo is ATI crossfire ready that may be the route i will go,but requiring 2 GC is going to be quite a fair amount of cash..
Made the move from XP to Vista64 Bit last month when I built my new rig. All is well, no real issues to complain about other than some Driver Signing with Rivatuner. I have to disable Driver Signing at Boot otherwise I can't set the fan speed of my HD3870x2 card. Other than that, pretty stable although recently I have been having some trouble with ATi driver shutting down then recovering.
Chaged to Vista Ultimate 64 2 months ago. Very stable, no driver issues, no real game performace loss vs XP. all in all I'm happy. Just upped my RAM from 2GB to 4GB as my 131MB dreamscene eats the memory
