Upgrade to 64-bit Vista from 32-bit XP Pro? Any guidance?

[rmendoza]

Just recently (December) I got my T60 with C2D 7200. I have been reading about the Vista upgrades, but there seems to be some confusing information. Some people say that you cannot go to Vista x64 from a 32-bit version of Windows. I checked out Paul Thurrott's windows website, as well as Microsoft's, and they both seem to confirm this (check Microsoft's info.)

Now, the reason this throws me off is that when I went to order the Vista upgrade from the moduslink website, it offered me Vista business 32-bit or 64-bit. Needless to say that I didn't order anything, I backtracked and thought I would get some advice first.

Now, what are the advantages or disadvantages of getting the 64-bit version for an average joe (like me) who is somewhat of a computer aficionado, but not an engineer or anything close to a geek (in the benign sense of the word )? According to this link., the 32-bit version seems to be more compatible with current software, at least for the time being.

I know my way around computers enough to work out potential problems myself, but I am also very cautious - I like to be sure before I make a move that could potentially turn into a disaster or a time-consuming rescue and restore operation. Would I be better off just getting the 32-version, just to be on the safe side? What does everyone think about this? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[tomh009]

My take is that if you don't know whether you need 64-bit, then you don't need 64-bit, at least not in the short term.

The 64-bit version certainly has a driver shortage still, and can potentially have application compatibility issues (though the WOW layer should handle those). But given that the big gain is in being able to use >4 GB of memory, and your T60 only supports 3 GB, I would suggest that you stay with the 32-bit version.

[rmendoza]

That is actually where I was heading. I realize that my needs are certainly not those of engineers or other science-oriented people, who might indeed benefit from cutting edge technology.

That being said, I just wanted to get everyone's take on it. Thanks for your feedback.

Robert

[Scratch]

I've read in other threads that none of the ThinkVantage apps will run in conjunction with XP64. I'm sure that his will be rectified when Vista 64 is available as a config option on new T'Pads.

As was stated here, the big benefit is the addressable memory boost. Since the T'Pad can't support it the point might be moot.

[dfumento]

Actually there is a speed benefit as well if using double precision floating point as programs such as Matlab and some computer graphics programs do. Also, since 64-bit has a better register set than 32-bit everything compiled for 64-bit should run faster than for 32-bit.

We should be able to get an upgrade for both 32-bit and 64-bit at same time and select as is the case with retail editions.

You won't be able to perform a 64-bit upgrade on a 32-bit Win XP. You'll have to install it fresh and reinstall software and copy your data.