How '64 bit proof' is the Dell Inspiron 6400?

I keep hearing all this talk about 64 bit drivers, and incompatability with Vista Home Premium, and so on. So, first things first, what are people talking about exactly? And how future proof is the Dell Inspiron 6400 in this respect, given the range of component parts Dell offer for the machine?

 

Eh? If it comes with a Core 2 Duo or another 64 bit processor, it will be as 64 bit proof as the next machine. I assume the components in this 6400 will be pretty generic of Dell's offerings, in which case you should be just fine if you purchase one for Vista 64.

EDIT: Woot, Post #1000! Somebody congratulate or scold me!

 

congradulations! lol

core2 = 64 bit
any amd = 64bit
64 bit is 64 bit, there is no partial 64 bit...

 

Safe until 128-bit becomes the new.

 

OP: As long as you get a 64-bit chip as mentioned you'll be 64-bit compatible. Any core2duo or any modern AMD will satisfy that requirement.

 

Excellent. So I shouldn't have any problems with incompatable GPU's or programs and all the other scare stories I've been hearing?

 

You may have driver incompatibilities, in which case you'll need to download off your hardware manufacturer's site for the latest Vista driver. Sometimes they don't have them, and you're in the crapper until they make one available.

 

Congrats on reaching your 1000 post. You are valued here.

 

Care to go deeper? Driver incompatablities? Which are most susceptible, particularly with the Inspiron 6400?

 

I think what he is getting at is that right now, not all vendors have released drivers for Vista. In most cases either Dell has released vista drivers (if you want to see for yourself, go to www.support.dell.com ) Or the vendor has drivers or the XP drivers will work with it. Most software works right out of the box with Vista--better support than XP. I would not worry about incompatibilities.

 

Fair enough.

 

Just wondering, will 64 bit vista give a much better performance than the 32bit version? Especially when the program itself is 32 bit.

 

An interesting question. I too would like an answer to that.

By the way, how can tell which programs are/aren't 32 or 64 bit???

 

Usually, no, performance will be almost exactly the same.
If the program itself is 32-bit, it *will* be almost exactly the same.
(Technically, there will be a tiny performance loss because a small amount of emulation has to take place to allow the OS to talk to the app. But on the other hand, OS calls may be slightly more efficient, which also means you'll regain a bit of performance. Overall, performance should be almost identical)

if the program itself is 64-bit? Hard to say, but I'd expect a small performance boost. (Say, 5-10% . Of course that varies depending on the application, though.

Easiest way may be to simply look at what you're installing. If you download the app, it'll probably have a separate link to a 64-bit download. And the installer may say so as well.

But usually, it doesn't really matter.

 

So it'll be wiser to upgrade to the 32-bit vista instead of the 64 bit version at this moment?

 

Well, none of what I said indicated that 32-bit would be *better*. Just that usually, 64-bit won't be faster. So that's no reason to stick with 32-bit.

However, as others have mentioned before, not every hardware manufacturer has drivers available for 64-bit OS'es yet, so if you need to use any of that, yes, it might be better to stick with 32-bit. (As with Windows X64, this mostly applies to "external" hardware such as scanners, cameras or printers. For all the "internal" hardware, you can be pretty sure to find drivers)

 

The only external hardware I can see myself using is an iPod. Maybe a USB mouse. Not much more than that though.

 

Well, but I wonder if it would actually run the nice features of Vista, like Aero. Inpiron 6400 comes with an Ati x1300 or x1400. Will those cards make it for Aero?

 

What exactly are you asking?

Even an integrated card like the GMA 950 runs Aero with no problems.

 

The main problems will come down the line with the 6400 and a 64 bit OS, as the platform matures, and more memory capacity is required, the 2gb max of the 6400, being only half of the max limit of the 32 bit, will be a problem. 64 bit basic can use 8, home premium can use 16, and the rest up to 128.

 

Really? I have read that you need a 128 MB card at least, my Ati x1600 barely passed the Cnet test, and it actually recommended a better card for getting the best of the "ultimate" version.

 

Yes, it runs. Period.

and since you like reading...
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=100284
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=99265

 

Microsoft's recommendation is to have atlast 1GB RAM if you have an integrated graphics. The memory limit is only set for dedicated graphics cards which lack Hypermemory/Turbocache.