Which should you choose if upgrading or buying a new computer, 32-bit or 64-bit?<\/p>\n
Probably most always a 64 bit system; it can handle more RAM (memory) and most all programs are available for 64 bit. A program that won’t run on windows 8 64bit probably won’t run on windows 8 32 bit anyway. Most programs will run fine on Windows 8 although you may need to upgrade to newer versions of some programs. I have yet to have a single program that won’t run on my windows 8 64 bit. Best part of 64 bit is you can add a lot more RAM and it is used more effectively and RAM is what makes or breaks you when opening lots of programs and multi-tasking. RAM is your best friend when it comes to hardware, and it is about the cheapest thing you can add to a system thanks to sites like crucial.com. To give you an example, our newest computer is a Dell Inspirion All-in-One and two 4-gig RAM sticks are only $39.99 (easy for even the most non-techie to install.. just plugs in a slot).<\/p>\n
Here is Microsoft description of difference: The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer’s processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system. So, definitely go 64 bit unless you are upgrading an older computer and the Windows 8 upgrade test informs you otherwise. Another thing to keep in mind is not all hardware\/devices\/processors are compatible with 64 bit, but most have 64 bit drivers available so you are covered; again, Windows 8 upgrade tool should let you know this and unless you are running a very old computer it is not going to be an issue.<\/p>\n
Advantages to 64 bit vs. 32 bit:
\nIncreased memory support beyond that of the 4-GB limit you can use on a 32-bit operating system
\nIncreased program performance for programs that are written to take advantage of a 64-bit operating system
\nEnhanced security features<\/p>\n
More info:
\nMost programs designed for the 32-bit version of Windows will work on the 64-bit version of Windows. Notable exceptions are many antivirus programs. But, most antivirus have a 64 bit version, so again, this is not an issue. And, since Windows 8 comes loaded with its own antivirus and security, it is not an issue at all.<\/p>\n
16 bit applications won\u2019t run on 64 bit Windows. This is unlikely to be a problem. Most software developed in the last ten years is 32 bit.<\/p>\n
Microsoft has a great info page discussing 32 vs. 64 bit.\u00a0Click here for more info<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Which should you choose if upgrading or buying a new computer, 32-bit or 64-bit? Probably most always a 64 bit system; it can handle more RAM (memory) and most all programs are available for 64 bit. A program that won’t run on windows 8 64bit probably won’t run on windows 8 32 bit anyway. Most programs will run\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5201"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5202,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5201\/revisions\/5202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}