Member Avatar for chuteboxe39

hello, i just recently bought 4 extra gigs of RAM only to find out i cant use it all because 32 bit only supports up to 3 gigs. so, i was thinking of switching to x64 so i can apply ALL of my RAM. but in another thread, its stated that driver support is terrible and i would have trouble finding compatible drivers for my hardware. also, someone stated that (since my PC is primarily for media and gaming) that the 6GB of ram wouldnt necessarily make a difference. Is this true ? here are my specs:

6 GB (2x3) Patriot extreme RAM
AMD Athlon X2 6000+ 3.01 GB
2 6800 ultras in SLI
ASUS M2N-SLI mobo

thanks for any help

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Short answer: to actually address all 6 GB you need a 64‑bit OS. Whether you should switch depends on what you run. 64‑bit Windows will let the machine use the extra physical RAM, but single 32‑bit games/processes still run with the smaller 32‑bit address limits, so most older games won’t suddenly need or use the extra memory.

A few technical points to make the tradeoff clearer (adds to what , and said):

  • 32‑bit Windows has a 4 GB physical address space; device/PCI mapping typically reduces usable RAM to roughly 3–3.5 GB on many systems. Each 32‑bit process gets ~2 GB of user space by default (3 GB with the /3GB switch). Moving to a 64‑bit OS removes those limits for 64‑bit processes and lets the system use all installed RAM.
  • Your Athlon X2 is AMD64‑capable, so the CPU will run a 64‑bit OS. The common compatibility issues come from device drivers (chipset, network, audio, printer, anti‑cheat or DRM drivers), not the CPU.

Practical checklist before switching:

  • Back up the system image.
  • Check vendor support pages for x64 drivers: motherboard chipset, LAN, audio and graphics (NVIDIA legacy drivers for older cards may exist but check).
  • Try a test install (or install to a spare drive/partition) so you can roll back quickly.
  • If you mainly game and don’t run VMs or large editors, stay on 32‑bit unless you confirm specific benefits for your titles. If you run many apps, VMs, big media projects, or modern software that is 64‑bit, move to x64.

If the goal is "use all 6 GB reliably with minimal fuss," consider a more recent 64‑bit Windows build (later Vista service packs, Windows 7/10) because driver support and compatibility improved substantially over XP x64.

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Member Avatar for jbennet

yes, driver support is poor and very few programs are written to take advantage of 64 bit (they run as if it was a 32 bit os, meaning they still cant use over 2gb each)

And seriously, you shouldnt ever need more than 3gb. I use 3gb and XP for serious gaming and dvd ripping etc... just fine.

Member Avatar for chuteboxe39

ok, well i read someone else say they had no problems with driver support. anyone else that uses x64 give me some input ? (thanks to jbennet for your input tho)

Member Avatar for jbennet

64 bit vista has a lot more driver support than xp does (almost as good as 32 bit) whereas xp x64 is terrible for drivers. THen again, if you are paranoid about maximising your memory , you dont want to run vista.

commented: Helpful poster +2
Member Avatar for chuteboxe39

heh k. ill just stick to xp then. thanks for your help jbennet !!

Member Avatar for jbennet

no problem

i run good games like arma, cod4, bf2, crysis just fine on 3gb/Pentium 4HT and can rip a dvd quite quickly

Member Avatar for Fracture

I have been using Vista Ultimate x64 since about the time it came out and have only seen a couple of programs not work and the only driver I don't have is for my LG Muziq phone. Really drivers are only going to be hard to find if you have really old hardware.

I really think you should try it out for yourself and then you'll be able to make the call if its worth it. For me it was.

Here is an interesting article that is on this topic

http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/15/vista_workshop/

Member Avatar for Fracture

I thought this was about Vista and just realized it was about XP x64. in that case I would stick with the 32-bit version.

Member Avatar for bobbyraw

for the Windows XP X64 you will find few applications written for it, i installed a new copy of X64 and most of the programs i have on the 32bit will not install on the X64 as there are not X64 programs for it, office and most other microsoft application will run, but most 3rd party will not. I am just in the process of installing my printer drivers ( luckily they have the X64 version) For everyday use X64 is not the way to go

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