Hi, I am about to order Vista, but Im not sure whether or not to get the 32 or 64 bit version.

I have ordered a:

Q6600 Quad Core
8800 GTS 640mb
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6813128050
2GB or Ram(will get 4gb)


Which one do you guys think I should get? What are the downsides of the 64 bit version?

The only major downside off the top of my head is driver compatibility. Make sure that you can get drivers for any hardware that will be connected.

32 Bit is better drivers. 64 bit might give you few more frames in new games

Vista 64-bit is the only OS that will take full advantage of you Quad CPU and soon to be 4gig of RAM. I'll assume you're a gamer if you've got an 8800 GPU so like previous users have mentioned, you’ll have better frame rates. Actually, its more like your frame rates won’t down when the game engine requires your CPU to process huge amount of information such as physics and advanced AI. It won’t improve continuous frame rate however.

The trade off is really performance versus compatibility How much performance versus how much compatibility? If you only do word processing then you’re wasting my time and your money. But if you put your pc to the test in multi tasking then yes you will see a huge difference. You’ll also see a when using huge amounts of RAM.

Vista 64-bit processes more threads/sec than Vista 32-bit... It will also fully use you Quad CPU making it even faster. To give you an idea, 64-bit OS were really meant for servers who use multi processing and lots of RAM (8+ Gigs). If you're building a new machine, buy components that have Vista 64-bit drivers. The dumbest components sometimes are the hardest to find such as Ethernet cards, printers, mouse or keyboard, digital cameras...a lot of those don't have Vista 64-bit drivers yet (or maybe never).

If you shop right and you do check for components compatibility with Vista 64-bit, then you shouldn't have that many problems.

Most components have Vista 32-bit drivers nowadays. I can't say the same about his big brother 64-bit.

Vista 64-bit has potential but is not THE OS in reality. Software such as games, executable programs and major applications also have to have 64-bit programming which is, unfortunately, not always appealing for software developers. It costs them lots of money and sometimes is not profitable enough from a business point of view. What that means is not all your programs will benefit from the true 64-bit power. For example, the game Crysis (I'm sure you know) takes advantage of 64-bit but it did cost them a lot of money to build. Not every game developers are willing to invest that much.

So here's my recommendation. If you're willing to shop around for components that are Vista 64-bit compatible then go for it. Expect a few bumps here and there but things will only get better for you in the future. If you're really not the troubleshooting kinda person...then go with Vista 32-bit as it is your most stable & driver friendly OS to choose from.

Hope this helps.

I would go for the 32 bit just for more stability. You know how we all love unstable OS's

I recommend 32 bit vista.

If your question is: Is Vista 32 and 64 are two separate boxes?
The answer is no. When you buy Vista, other than Ultimate, it come with the CD 32bits. There is a note in the box that say if you want to go 64, you can order it online from Microsoft for around 10$ the CD 64bits.

Ultimate come with both version.

For the installation, I had Home Premium but I ordered the 64 CD and now I am Vista Home Premium 64.

Why? I wanted 4GB of RAM. Result, I found it more stable and smoother. The future will be 64bits anyway. I heard that initially Vista was supposed to be 64 only.

NOTE:
* You said that you will get 4GB eventually!!! So, unless you want only around 3.2GB of usable RAM with Vista 32, you will be fine with that version, else, you must go Vista 64 (XP is the same story).

* If you install Vista 32, you can not upgrade to Vista 64. Must be a clean install. Keep that in mind.

I am really happy with my current configuration. Lot of RAM is great!

God my dad is so depressed because of that. He opted for XP 64 and nothing works. Clicking My Computer gives a 5 minute lag to find it, the "Show Desktop" icon doesn't work. He paid for it so he isn't going to get rid of it. He's ****.

Sad to say, but he is.