32-bit or 64-bit?

Squishy

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I was wondering if someone could tell me how you tell if your processor is a X86 or X64 processor? I would really like to know for when I get my new operating system.
 
im pretty sure all current processors support both versions
if its for a processor your currently using go to the device manager (its in the control panel) and look at the type of your processor and just look it up and it'll be easy to tell
 
Yeah, all modern processors support both 32 and 64 bit. And by "modern" I mean all processors that are being sold at www.newegg.com :P

Any processor higher than the Pentium 4 and Athlon 64 support 64 bit.
 
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im pretty sure all current processors support both versions
if its for a processor your currently using go to the device manager (its in the control panel) and look at the type of your processor and just look it up and it'll be easy to tell

I can't find ANYTHING on my proccessor it's a Intel Core 2 Duo 6600 2.6 GHz
 
....DAMN!....I got Windows 7 RC X86..........I don't want to re-install......
 
Ooh yea that sucks, but if off a good/decent USB flash drive it doesnt take more than 20minutes compared to DVDs never ending install >.>

And if anything itll write a new install, rewriting and not erasing the install so all your documents still there. Programs yes but those you can reinstall quicky.

There's few CPUs that still are 32bit.

But mainly:

Core 2 Duo
Athlon X2 64
Core 2 Quad / Extreme
Phenom / X3 / X4 / II X3 / II X4
Core i7
Pentium D / Dual Core
Athlon 64

All support 64bit that I know of so usually if it isnt one of those youd have to check online.
 
Newer CPU supports both.

Just to say a side note. x86, x64, x86-64 are confusing terms. But we know x86 is the arch that supports up to 64-bit today. The difference between the term? There isn't any. But x86-64 is a term used to refer to AMD 64 while MS likes 64bit to be called x64. I don't think it's a wise thing to have so many names, so just stick to 32-bit and 64 bits. Forget about x64 and x86-64.
 
off a good/decent USB flash drive it doesnt take more than 20minutes compared to DVDs never ending install >.>

Windows 7 RC has a very fast install time in-general, I was pleasantly surprised to be up and running within 10 min using a DVD on my old P4 system. Unfortunately, I found the RC to be too unstable for my main system and had difficulty with wireless drivers, especially for the 64 bit version. I would recommend the 64 bit version only if you want to do some gaming or other very memory intensive applications; otherwise, I think the compatibility of 32 will make for a more stable system, seeing as most Vista 32 drivers work well with it.
 
Windows 7 RC has a very fast install time in-general, I was pleasantly surprised to be up and running within 10 min using a DVD on my old P4 system. Unfortunately, I found the RC to be too unstable for my main system and had difficulty with wireless drivers, especially for the 64 bit version. I would recommend the 64 bit version only if you want to do some gaming or other very memory intensive applications; otherwise, I think the compatibility of 32 will make for a more stable system, seeing as most Vista 32 drivers work well with it.

Really? First install everything worked for me and still is. I only have Windows 7.....nothing else and it's awesome.:)
 
Well it looks like you've gotten your answers.
The only thing I can say is watch out for some of the accessories that you use with your computer...
For instance, I got Vista Ultimate 64bit last weekend for my new computer I built...
Turtle Beach headsets are not supported on 64 bit, and the only thing they say is "please use the specified specs" (or something similar! AKA: They don't do much/anything to help you)
 
Really? First install everything worked for me and still is. I only have Windows 7.....nothing else and it's awesome.:)

Don't get me wrong, I think Windows 7 is a very streamlined OS and is a step in the right direction, just warning you about some stability problems with the RC which I have experienced. My problem was mostly that I tried to load out the RC with everything my normal Vista system has and at this point there just isn't the level of driver compatibility necessary. Overall though, I am very impressed with Windows 7, just going to wait until I get my preorder before I make it my primary OS.
 
ya your fine with a 64bit and the win7 is the fastest windows install yet.

btw

it not x64

the x in the name is a variable and means it compatible with 386, 486, 586, 686 processor architectures the correct term would be x86-64
 
If you have 3 gigs of ram, you're fine with a 32 bit system. Only those who plan to install or utilize anything more than 3 gigs of ram in their system would generally use the 64bit OS. 64bit supports 4 gigs and up. I've seen systems running up to 16 gigs of ram in their system. For reason I dont know.

bulletsinthefire is correct when referring to those terms. x86 refers to the architecture of the CPU. If your speaking of OS's in bits then you would refer to 32 bit or 64 bit OS. x86 would be like the old old 8086 cpu's. pc's with the turbo button. good times.
 
oh you think 16gb is a bit at work i use a system with 28gb of ram and it is actully mostley used up.
 
If you have 3 gigs of ram, you're fine with a 32 bit system. Only those who plan to install or utilize anything more than 3 gigs of ram in their system would generally use the 64bit OS. 64bit supports 4 gigs and up. I've seen systems running up to 16 gigs of ram in their system. For reason I dont know.

bulletsinthefire is correct when referring to those terms. x86 refers to the architecture of the CPU. If your speaking of OS's in bits then you would refer to 32 bit or 64 bit OS. x86 would be like the old old 8086 cpu's. pc's with the turbo button. good times.

Yeah well I have 4 GB of ram and I want to use them all.
 
Yeah well I have 4 GB of ram and I want to use them all.

32bit processors CAN utilize 4gb of ram. but it can only allocate 2gb to any application where as a 64-bit processor can use all 4 gb in a single application. Depends on the application as well though, usually they have to be designed correctly in order to be able to fully utilize a 64-bit processor and memory to the full extent. Here is a list of some free 63 bit applications: "http://www.64xsoft.com/"

Be careful with 64-bit use. Not a lot of older hardware have drivers that support 64 bit processors. You may have to get rid of that old TV converter, wireless cards, and other things might not have 64-bit support. A lot of the major companies will release 64-bit support drivers, but not everyone, and even the big companies won't release it for all their old stuff.

Good luck!
 
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