<p>What the difference? Which one is better to get? etc..</p>
<p>Right now, there is little difference in performance between the two versions. If you have a CPU that is 64bit compatible then you can install the 64bit version. Honestly though, I would stick with 32bit because a lot of legacy drivers haven't been converted (i.e. printers, scanners, video cameras, cell phones, etc) and there isn't a work around for it.</p>
<p>Also, 64 bit Vista can make use of 4 GB of RAM, whereas 32 bit Vista can only use 3 point something (so if you have 3 GB of RAM, both of them can use all their RAM, but if you have 4 GB of RAM the 64 bit version can use slightly more RAM).</p>
<p>if you're computer has 4 or more GB of RAM than get 64-bit. Most likely if the computer you're buying offers Vista 64-bit, it's because the CPU can support it. So it just depends on the hardware really which one to get.</p>
<p>Now if you're into applications that are very memory intensive (i.e. Photoshop), then 64-bit is probably the better way to go. Most programs work in Vista 64-bit because it's either emulated as a 32-bit application or it runs as a 64-bit application. On a few occasions, you'll need to make sure that the application is 64-bit before installing it (i.e. iTunes, anti-virus software).</p>
<p>Generally 64-bit operating systems haven't been too popular on the consumer side. Most OSes have been 32-bit. However with Vista 64-bit it's become a bit more popular and a lot of manufacturers are pushing it on customers so that the consumer can take advantage of the hardware. This has started to happen because Vista requires more resources, but also because programs continue to take up a lot of memory and memory just gets cheaper. For example, my uncle recently purchased a computer which came with 6GB of RAM. Had he gotten Vista 32-bit, he would have been wasting ~3GB of RAM. It's a good thing that computer manufacturers are doing this because it forces software companies to start making 64-bit versions of their software.</p>
<p>Hope that helps you decide.</p>
<p>I have a friend with 13 GB of RAM on his system - he's running Vista x64.</p>
<p>Mac OSX has had 64-bit support for quite some time.</p>
<p>64-bit native programs have hardware advantages. 32-bit programs can only use 8 general purpose registers and only 8 vector registers. 64-bit programs have 16 general purpose registers and 16 vector registers available. They also have 64-bit arithmetic for applications where this is useful.</p>
<p>If you need to use Cisco VPN, then you are out of luck with 64-bit Vista as Cisco doesn't provide support for Vista - x64 yet.</p>
<p>Ok thanks. I got the 64 bit because I'm going to have 4 gbs of ram. </p>
<p>I just thought of something, if I have a wireless router for internet. Can I still use it?</p>
<p>lets say i like many older games like fallout 2,diablo2 they wont work on 64?</p>
<p>A wireless router would work, and older games I'm pretty sure you would be able to run them in 32 bit computability mode...</p>
<p>stupid question but would I still be able to connect to my campus' wireless internet? I would right? LOL</p>
<p>Yes. Unless there aren't drivers for your wireless card, which I would highly doubt...but worth checking.</p>
<p>If the wireless card came built in the laptop (which is very common in laptops these days) it stands to reason that the manufacturer would include a driver for it, especially if the laptop was preinstalled with 64bit OS. Otherwise you'd have grounds to return it as a defective product.</p>
<p>16 bit support is gone in x64 so if you have 16-bit games or software with 16-bit installers, then you may be out of luck. I think that very few people still use 16-bit stuff but you never know.</p>