ChefOfDeath
New Member
Sometime in the next few months (maybe sooner, maybe later - not sure yet) I plan on upgrading to Vista home premium, and I have some questions that I'm hoping I can get answered.
1. x86 or x64? I'm leaning towards 64 bit (that's why I'm on this forum), but I'd like to get some opinions and advice from people who have experience with Vista x64. I read everywhere that many programs don't work well or don't work at all on 64 bit operating systems. What are the benefits of 64 bit over 32 bit, and do they outweigh the potential driver problems?
2. RAM: I'm currently using 2 gigs of RAM, and I'm was planning to buy 2 more gigs if I went with Vista x64. However, I just read a post in the gaming section saying that 6 gigs is optimal for gaming on Vista. Considering my motherboard has 4 DIMMs (the norm), then I'm not sure how to get 6 gigs unless I have two one-gig sticks (what I have now) and two two-gig sticks. Two gig sticks are expensive - it would cost me ~$130 to bump my system up from 2 gigs to 4 gigs, but it would cost over $300 to go from 2 to 6 gigs. Is this really what was being suggested, or is this something having to do with that new Vista feature that allows one to use a flash drive as additional RAM? Above all, is it really that important, will 4 gigs be just fine in practice?
3. Updates/service packs: I'm aware that a lot of people aren't satisfied with Vista's performance/compatibility right now, and because of this I am planning on dual-booting Vista with my current install of XP home. This doesn't mean that I'll settle for an inferior product, of course. My question is: will buying Vista in several months leave me with the same product as buying Vista now and waiting several months (because of automatic updates)? Can I feel safe knowing that If I buy Vista now, any kinks that show up are likely to be ironed out by free updates and service packs released via internet, or will I have to pay money to buy an upgraded version when it comes out?
I'd greatly appreciate any help I can get on these. This forum seemed like a good place to take my questions to. Thanks!
1. x86 or x64? I'm leaning towards 64 bit (that's why I'm on this forum), but I'd like to get some opinions and advice from people who have experience with Vista x64. I read everywhere that many programs don't work well or don't work at all on 64 bit operating systems. What are the benefits of 64 bit over 32 bit, and do they outweigh the potential driver problems?
2. RAM: I'm currently using 2 gigs of RAM, and I'm was planning to buy 2 more gigs if I went with Vista x64. However, I just read a post in the gaming section saying that 6 gigs is optimal for gaming on Vista. Considering my motherboard has 4 DIMMs (the norm), then I'm not sure how to get 6 gigs unless I have two one-gig sticks (what I have now) and two two-gig sticks. Two gig sticks are expensive - it would cost me ~$130 to bump my system up from 2 gigs to 4 gigs, but it would cost over $300 to go from 2 to 6 gigs. Is this really what was being suggested, or is this something having to do with that new Vista feature that allows one to use a flash drive as additional RAM? Above all, is it really that important, will 4 gigs be just fine in practice?
3. Updates/service packs: I'm aware that a lot of people aren't satisfied with Vista's performance/compatibility right now, and because of this I am planning on dual-booting Vista with my current install of XP home. This doesn't mean that I'll settle for an inferior product, of course. My question is: will buying Vista in several months leave me with the same product as buying Vista now and waiting several months (because of automatic updates)? Can I feel safe knowing that If I buy Vista now, any kinks that show up are likely to be ironed out by free updates and service packs released via internet, or will I have to pay money to buy an upgraded version when it comes out?
I'd greatly appreciate any help I can get on these. This forum seemed like a good place to take my questions to. Thanks!
