R405 - Upgrading to Vista 64-bit

I just bought a LG r405 from Future Shop, the same one mentioned in the thread a few down. It comes with the 32-bit version of Vista, but has 4GB of RAM and from what little I know and what I've read, 1GB of that will be useless on a 32-bit OS. One guy at the store said it can upgraded for free through LG and another said I need to buy the 64-bit version of Vista for 130 bucks or something. My question is, does anyone know the process to get the 64-bit version of Vista on my system and take full advantage of what I bought? Thanks.

 

One more question, this Toshiba just went on sale at FS for the same price.

Which is the better laptop? I just had a 3 year old Toshiba die on me and was really impressed with it, so I may lean towards it because it's a name I trust. Any help would be great. Thanks.

Toshiba
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...angid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10108194&catid=25314

WebID: 10108194
Mfr. Part Number: PSMD4C-02Q08C
Base Features
Approximate Battery Life 2-3 Hours
Hard Drive Speed/Capacity 320GB 5400RPM
Optical Drive DVD SuperMulti Double Layer Drive 8X
Processor Speed 2
Processor Type Intel Core 2 Duo T5750
RAM 4GB
Screen Size 14.1"
Graphics
Discrete Video Memory Yes
Expandable Video Memory Up To 1023MB
Graphics Chipset ATI Mobile Radeon HD 3470
Integrated Video Memory No
Native Screen Resolution 1280 x 800
Upgradable Video System No
Video Memory 256MB dedicated VRAM
Audio
Audio Chipset Conexant CX20561
Audio Output Stereo
Digital Input No
Digital Output Yes
Hardware Volume Control Yes
Integrated Amplifier No
Integrated Microphone Yes
Microphone Input Yes
Speaker Wattage NA
Speakers Yes
Inputs/Outputs
Card Reader Yes
Card Reader - Compatible Memory Types SDHC, xD, MS, MS Pro, MMC
Composite Output No
ExpressCard/34 Input NA
ExpressCard/54 Input NA
HDCP Compliant No
HDMI Port Yes
IEEE 1394 Input/Output 1
IR Receiver No
Number of Touchpad Buttons 2
PC Card Input Express Card
S-Video Output No
Type of Keyboard Bilingual
Type of Modem V.92 56K Data/Fax
Type of Pointing Device Touchpad
USB 2.0 3
VGA Output 1
Webcam Yes
Networking
Ethernet Port 10/100
Integrated Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 + EDR
Integrated WiFi 802.11 a/g/n
Power
Battery - Capacity 3700 mAh
Battery - Number of Cells 6
Battery Type Lithium-Ion
Computing Features
Processor Cache L1 32KB/L2 1MB
Removable Storage No
System Bus 667
Software
English/French Software Bilingual
Loaded Software 1 Toshiba ConfigFree
Loaded Software 2 Adobe Acrobat Reader
Loaded Software 3 TOSHIBA Disc Creator
Loaded Software 4 Toshiba DVD Player
Pre-loaded Operating System Vista Home Premium 64bit
Accessories
Headphones No
Remote No
Product Features
Notebook Depth 24.2
Notebook Thickness (closed) 3.75
Notebook Weight (including Battery) 2.34
Notebook Width 33.4
Warranty Labour 365
Warranty Parts 365



LG
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...angid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10108706&catid=25314

WebID: 10108706
Mfr. Part Number: R405-A.CP06A9
Base Features
Approximate Battery Life Up To 3 Hours
Hard Drive Speed/Capacity 320GB SATA 5400RPM
Optical Drive Super Multi Dual Layer DVD+/-RW
Processor Speed 2.0GHz
Processor Type Intel Core 2 Duo T5750
RAM 4GB DDR2
Screen Size 14.1"
Graphics
Discrete Video Memory No
Expandable Video Memory No
Graphics Chipset ATI Radeon Xpress 1250
Integrated Video Memory Yes
Native Screen Resolution 1280x800
Upgradable Video System No
Video Memory 1GB
Audio
Audio Chipset Realtek ALC 262
Audio Output Stereo
Digital Input No
Digital Output Yes (SPDIF)
Hardware Volume Control Yes
Integrated Amplifier Yes
Integrated Microphone Yes
Microphone Input Yes
Speaker Wattage 1.5W
Speakers Yes
Inputs/Outputs
Card Reader Yes
Card Reader - Compatible Memory Types xD/SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro
Composite Output No
ExpressCard/34 Input Yes
ExpressCard/54 Input No
HDCP Compliant No
HDMI Port No
IEEE 1394 Input/Output No
IR Receiver No
Number of Touchpad Buttons 2
PC Card Input ExpressCard/34
S-Video Output 1
Type of Keyboard Full Size 87 Keys
Type of Modem No
Type of Pointing Device Touchpad
USB 2.0 3
VGA Output 1
Webcam Yes
Networking
Ethernet Port 10/100
Integrated Bluetooth Yes - v2.0+EDR
Integrated WiFi 802.11b/g/n
Power
Battery - Capacity Not Provided By Manufacturer
Battery - Number of Cells 6-Cell
Battery Type Lithium-Ion
Computing Features
Processor Cache 2MB
Removable Storage No
System Bus 667MHz
Software
English/French Software Bilingual
Loaded Software 1 LG Magnifier
Loaded Software 2 LG SmartCam
Loaded Software 3 LG Intelligent Update
Loaded Software 4
Pre-loaded Operating System Windows Vista Home Premium SP1
Accessories
Headphones No
Remote No
Product Features
Notebook Depth 23.6 cm
Notebook Thickness (closed) 3.3 cm
Notebook Weight (including Battery) 2.4 kg
Notebook Width 33.5 cm
Warranty Labour 1 Year
Warranty Parts 1 Year

Thanks!!!

 

Hello trucks,

What did you end up deciding for you laptop? I am looking into purchasing one as well, and have seen the LG on FutureShop website and am quite tempted, but am not finding too many reviews on the web. Was wondering if you went with it, and if so, how is it? If not, what made you purchase the Toshiba instead?

Cheers!