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32-bit vs 64-bit on 2GB of RAM

djdelarosa25
By djdelarosa25
in Operating Systems
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Posted

Hi there!

 

 

 

I upgraded my dad's shitty PC to Windows 10, and he didn't like it. So now, I'm going to reinstall Windows 7 from scratch, but I am unsure whether or not to download the 32-bit or 64-bit ISOs.

 

This PC has a Core 2 Duo E7400, Nvidia 9400GT, and 2GB of  DDR2 RAM. He doesn't want to upgrade it since he only uses Chrome and Office and Paint, and upgrading would simply be a waste of money for him. But maybe in the future I can convince him to upgrade the RAM to at least 4GB.

 

So, is there a SIGNIFICANT difference in performance between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 on 2GB of RAM?

 

 

 

Thanks a lot to those who will help!

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32-bit can only utilize up to 4GB of RAM. 64-bit can utilize a shitload more. 16EB (exabytes) of RAM.

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Not really, but you should get 64-bit anyways.

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So, should I go 64-bit? Would that impact performance to a noticeable point?

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you should go 64-bit, but don't bother upgrading the RAM as DDR2 prices are ridiculous.

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Also, I was wondering if different editions of Windows consume storage differently. I was thinking on installing Professional but seeing as the HDD is only a measly 175GB or so, should I go Home Premium instead? I'm gonna be missing the Group Policy feature, though.

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64-bit can utilize a shitload more. 16EB (exabytes) of RAM.

Theoretically.

"It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brain falls out." - Carl Sagan.

"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you" - Edward I. Koch

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Theoretically.

 

Obviously not going to use that much.

Intel Core i7-6700K | Corsair H105 | Asus Z170I PRO GAMING | G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB | 950 PRO 512GB M.2

 

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Obviously not going to use that much.

 

So, do you suggest 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 on 2GB of RAM?

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So, do you suggest 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 on 2GB of RAM?

If you're not upgrading RAM beyond 4GB, 32-bit is your best option. Whichever is cheaper at the time of purchase.

Intel Core i7-6700K | Corsair H105 | Asus Z170I PRO GAMING | G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB | 950 PRO 512GB M.2

 

Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX OC | BitFenix Prodigy (Black/Red) | XFX PRO Black Edition 850W

 

 

My Build | PCPartPicker | CoC

 

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Is there a noticeable hit in performance between the 32 and 64-bit W7 on low RAM? I'm not even sure if I can upgrade the RAM.

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32 bit. The reason is that it takes a little less RAM as do the 32 bit programs you run on it. 2GB is really Windows XP territory rather than Windows 7 frankly its not enough RAM to be warranting 64 bit but its also not enough RAM to run the OS comfortably along with other stuff going on.

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32 bit. The reason is that it takes a little less RAM as do the 32 bit programs you run on it. 2GB is really Windows XP territory rather than Windows 7 frankly its not enough RAM to be warranting 64 bit but its also not enough RAM to run the OS comfortably along with other stuff going on.

Even if the CPU supports 64-bit? Would the performace hit really be noticeable?

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Even if the CPU supports 64-bit? Would the performace hit really be noticeable?

64 bit programs take up on average about 30% more RAM, that is quite a bit of RAM when you don't have any to spare. There is a small performance penalty but IMO RAM is a far more pressing concern with such a machine in todays world than the minimal improvement a few extra registers are going to bring.

 

The disadvantage is obviously a lot of software now comes in 64 bit, but this machine is very much at the end of its life anyway.

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