Dan Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 My old laptop is running XP but it's not up to the task anymore so I'm in the market for a new one which all seem to be running Windows 7 64bit. So from a production point of view should I be aware of anything before buying a new laptop? I remember there was a lot of shit around when Vista 64bit was out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wax On Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I get the impression that going from 32 to 64 bit is more of an issue than going from win XP to Win 7... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Your license key will be valid for both the 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows as long as you're using the same version (Pro, Ultimate or whatever), so you could "obtain" a copy of the 32 bit version if you wanted to install that. Unless you're running (or will be in the future) more than 4GB of RAM then there's not really any compelling reasons to go with the 64 bit version of Windows. As for production, I would look at the software you use and Google for people's experiences. There's nothing inherently worse about running production software on 7 Vs. XP, but it really depends on the particular version of the software and how the 64 bit Windows 7 version stacks up against the XP version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 I was planning on 6GB of ram. So does software have to be specifically written to run under 64bit? Will 32bit software not work at all? - That maybe a dumb question but i don't get what the difference is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 The majority of 32 bit software will run on a 64 bit version of Windows. No 64 bit software will run on a 32 bit version of Windows. Problematic 32 bit software on a 64 bit system will include security software such as some firewalls, anti-virus programs or anti-malware apps, although if you need software like that it's not like you're stuck for 64 bit options. To take advantage of the 64 bit architecture and the increased performance that can offer, the software has to be 64 bit. If you run a 32 bit piece of software, Windows emulates a 32 bit environment for that piece of software to run in. Drivers have to match the OS in terms of whether they are 32 or 64 bit, so you can never install a 32 bit driver on a 64 bit version of Windows or vice versa, and that's probably the main area where people get put off or have bad experiences, especially if they own older devices and the company hasn't released 64 bit drivers because then you can't connect that device to the PC. Most companies are good about 64 bit support though and have been for some time, so I would definitely check for 64 bit drivers for any devices you're likely to want to connect to the laptop, but I would imagine you'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 The majority of 32 bit software will run on a 64 bit version of Windows. No 64 bit software will run on a 32 bit version of Windows. Problematic 32 bit software on a 64 bit system will include security software such as some firewalls, anti-virus programs or anti-malware apps, although if you need software like that it's not like you're stuck for 64 bit options. To take advantage of the 64 bit architecture and the increased performance that can offer, the software has to be 64 bit. If you run a 32 bit piece of software, Windows emulates a 32 bit environment for that piece of software to run in. Drivers have to match the OS in terms of whether they are 32 or 64 bit, so you can never install a 32 bit driver on a 64 bit version of Windows or vice versa, and that's probably the main area where people get put off or have bad experiences, especially if they own older devices and the company hasn't released 64 bit drivers because then you can't connect that device to the PC. Most companies are good about 64 bit support though and have been for some time, so I would definitely check for 64 bit drivers for any devices you're likely to want to connect to the laptop, but I would imagine you'll be fine. Cheers Steve, that makes more sense! I think they only thing I need to do then is check the drivers for my Novation gear. So if there isn't specific 64bit drivers the device won't work at all correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Yep. No 64 bit driver = no go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Is 64bit going to make a big difference to music production? When performing computationally intensive tasks involving large datasets, then 64bit registers will provide significant benefit. If you were in science or engineering, or at a push perhaps video editing, then I'd say yes. As it stands I doubt you'll see any real benefit, and as Steve says you could potentially run into driver issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Yeah I'll be doing video editing as well, I've checked the driver for my stuff and it's all golden. Ordered the laptop now - there wasn't an option to have 32bit anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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