32 or 64 bit vista

[tek33]

hi i am building a system from scratch and i have all my parts except the os.i am using the quad core q6600 go stepping processor.i do a good amount of gaming crysis,flight sim, far cry etc.i have 2x1gb of corsair c4d 6400 dominator version 1.2 could get more but my question is will the 32bit hold back the q6600 as far as performance or is it better run with the 64? i have a purchased hp computer now its an athlon x2 dual core 5000.with 32bit vista ultimate .3gb ram never had a pc with the quad core or a 64bit version os.would love some pro and con advice .have heard compatabilty problems with the 64 .some have said the quad shines on the 64 bit but sounds like a double edged sword.i'm confused.

[ibanez_bass]

i have vista 64 on my laptop and it runs great. the only problems are that most applications that require driver usage such as clockgen, require special treatment. i have to start my computer hit f8 and tell it to turn off driver signing enforcement (built in feature to x64, kinda sux in my opinion) however in performance, the os will make use of the 64bit bus width in the processor, but in ur common apps, they generally only use 32bit unless it is specifically a 64bit app. So yes it has its ups and downs. also remember that 16 bit programs will not run AT ALL. support for it has been dropped. last up is that 32 bit = 3.5 gb ram and 64 bit = as much as you can put in it right now lol i think its actually in the terrabyte region

[PJK]

x64 is great now. Driver support is generally good and it is a stable OS. One caveat is running x64 with less than 4gb ram is bad because x64 requires more ram for a given application.

[rusty_sim]

i use vista home premium 32-bit. i play games every now and then (Halo, Halo 2, Quake II, Portal and Lego Batman) which aren't really demanding but can push my CPU to burning point, however i personally see no need for a 64 bit or quad core system. but then again, i'm more of a home user; listening and watching stuff, using gimp etc.
if you want performance, 64-bit will do you great. plus it's encryption goodies =) are neat

[mortus]

I hear 64 bit systems are great for home use / gamers. Almost every device has a driver for it now. But from a business standpoint 64 bit is nowhere near what it needs to be and that is the fault of the programming for business applications like cisco vpn, honda IN (for honda dealers), and almost all medical applications.

Had a sales lead for a shop put in vista 64 bit on all the machines and shut down the whole sales department for a week and a half because of application compatibility, only to reimage back to xp. Those apps are still not compatible with 64 bit.