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    Core 2 Duo 64bit or 32bit?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by goldenwolf, Jun 17, 2008.

  1. goldenwolf

    goldenwolf Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hey,
    I recently ordered a laptop with core 2 duo capabilities, i have been hearing core 2 duo supports 64bit, i am just wondering, would dell ship the laptop with x86 version installed or x64? and is 64bit better than 32bit with 3 gb of ram? i have been hearing 64bit is useful if u have more than 3gb of ram but what would only 3gb? I am not sure if i should go with 64bit or 32bit (assuming laptop comes installed with 32) thank you
     
    goldenwolf, Jun 17, 2008
    #1
  2. Polarix

    Polarix Notebook Evangelist

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    64 bit is useful if you have 4GB of ram, as it can recognize all of the RAM. However, I don't believe the XPS M1530 has all of the drivers for Vista 64bit yet.
     
    Polarix, Jun 17, 2008
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  3. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    BTW...Dell (and most notebooks) ship with 32bit.
     
    Greg, Jun 17, 2008
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  4. auburncoast

    auburncoast Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    Dell would most likely ship with 32bit unless you specified another option. If they have not built the laptop yet you may be able to call and ask for it to be changed but it is always something you can do further down the line. 64bit os will address 4GB of ram and up depending on which version of vista. 32bit will only address about 3GB of ram. If your only getting 3 then I would suggest staying with 32bit. Certain hardware may not be compatible with 64bit as it will need a different device driver and not all companies have 64bit drivers. For instance I have an audio interface for recording that does not have any 64bit drivers available. If you do not forsee any problems there than you are safe to use 64bit as most other things work just fine. The 32bit seems to address around 3gb of memory though so that should be fine too.
    now please rep me for answering your question which is so easy to find. lol.
     
    auburncoast, Jun 17, 2008
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  5. eleron911

    eleron911 HighSpeedFreak

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    The Ultimate CPU guide from Lithus should clear up issues if any.

    Core Duo=32 bit.
    Core 2 Duo=64 bit.
     
    eleron911, Jun 17, 2008
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  6. Cadium

    Cadium Notebook Guru

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    The Intel Core 2 series of processors are 64-bit capable, however you must ensure that you have a chipset which is capable of utilizing large amounts of memory to fully realize the benefits of a 64-bit operating system.

    For example, in the mobile line-up, Intel's "Napa"/"Napa Refresh" chipset allowed one to utilize a 64-bit Core 2 Duo processor, however the memory controller did not allow you to access more than 3 GB of RAM at a system level, so even if you were running Windows 64-bit (x64), you would not be able to use all of the memory. However, with "Santa Rosa" and either a "Merom" or "Penryn" processor, you can use 4 GB of RAM.

    Now, as far as what architecture of Windows that is shipped by Dell, it is typically 32-bit (x86). This is the most common Windows architecture, however on some business models they [Dell] ship Windows 64-bit (x64). Should you wish to switch to Windows 64-bit, ensure that you have all of the required drivers and place them on a CD, DVD, or a USB flash drive, from there all you would need to do is obtain a Windows Vista 64-bit installation DVD (MSDN or TechNet have them available for download if you have a subscription to these services, or order one from Microsoft for a small fee plus shipping & handling). Use the product key on your computer to install Windows Vista 64-bit, as both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) will accept the same product keys.
     
    Cadium, Jun 17, 2008
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  7. paper_wastage

    paper_wastage Beat this 7x7x7 Cube

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    paper_wastage, Jun 17, 2008
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