Jump to content

32-bit or 64-bit OS on 4GB RAM

djdelarosa25

I have an old PC lying around and I'm thinking of breathing new life into it by installing Windows 10. It's pretty ancient hardware (Q9550, HD 5450, 4 GB DDR2) and the mobo doesn't support more than 4GB of RAM. Should I install 32-bit or 64-bit W10?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

The only reason to use 32 bit is if the CPU doesn't support 64.

NEW PC build: Blank Heaven   minimalist white and black PC     Old S340 build log "White Heaven"        The "LIGHTCANON" flashlight build log        Project AntiRoll (prototype)        Custom speaker project

Spoiler

Ryzen 3950X | AMD Vega Frontier Edition | ASUS X570 Pro WS | Corsair Vengeance LPX 64GB | NZXT H500 | Seasonic Prime Fanless TX-700 | Custom loop | Coolermaster SK630 White | Logitech MX Master 2S | Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Pro 512GB | Samsung 58" 4k TV | Scarlett 2i4 | 2x AT2020

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the feedback! The reason I asked is that I read somewhere that 32-bit is leaner on resources, which will theoretically make your PC run faster, though I'm not so sure about its validity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, djdelarosa25 said:

Thanks for the feedback! The reason I asked is that I read somewhere that 32-bit is leaner on resources, which will theoretically make your PC run faster, though I'm not so sure about its validity.

If you want to make it run faster delete System32

Spoiler

Lolzy

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

to get the "most life" you could try linux, however drivers can be a bit annoying.

Personally I'm trying to fix wifi and sound drivers on 2 different computers.

 

Windows 10 could be resource friendly though. 4 gb is plenty for that OS. I ran 2gb of DDR2 in windows 10, and was using 3ds max. 3ds max recommends 8gb minimum so only within that program it was exceptionally slow, however it was generally usable. (as in lighterweight tasks.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Enderman said:

The only reason to use 32 bit is if the CPU doesn't support 64.

Agreed, But to add, also if you have a legacy hardware without 64-bit drivers, and that hardware is very expensive to replace, or you use a software that is very costly to update/replace that is coded for 16-bit CPUs (basically, the software of that expensive hardware). 64-bit Windows dropped 16-bit support.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

32bit not only limits the RAM but all memory the OS can handle. VRam included.

CPU i7 6700k MB  MSI Z170A Pro Carbon GPU Zotac GTX980Ti amp!extreme RAM 16GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance 3k CASE Corsair 760T PSU Corsair RM750i MOUSE Logitech G9x KB Logitech G910 HS Sennheiser GSP 500 SC Asus Xonar 7.1 MONITOR Acer Predator xb270hu Storage 1x1TB + 2x500GB Samsung 7200U/m - 2x500GB SSD Samsung 850EVO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

What everybody else has said, but also:

 

On Intel Atom machines, 32 bit Windows will run quite a bit faster, especially older ones, since their 64 bit execution is kinda borked.

 

If you have 1GB of RAM you should definitely use 32 bit Windows to save on the additional memory space required by 64 bit libraries. 2GB of ram can be a tossup. 32 bit Windows 10 supports Memory Compression the same as 64 bit, so even on Windows 10 it'll "stack" and lower memory usage further. Anything more than 2GB you're best off using 64 bit in most cases.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×