Is it worth it? (Switching to 64-bit Vista over 32-bit Vist

[iamdmc]

I've seen a few comparisons in the performance of 32-bit XP vs. 64-bit XP - and the 64-bit had about 1.3x the performance.

I'm guessing there would be a similar increase in performance in 64-bit Vista. I wouldn't upgrade until SPI comes out in January, but it's just around the corner. I have a few reservations, though...

Would the performance really be increased?

Would the battery life be decreased? If so, around how much?

Is the driver support for the X61/X61s there? Can I get it using System Update from Lenovo?

Can I still use my games and programs (ie. Sims 2, MS Office 2007, etc.)?

Does 64-bit Vista allow me to see/utilize my entire 4GB RAM (which I'm getting in the mail soon)? And will I need at least 2x(size of RAM) for the Windows Paging file?

In the end - is it worth it?

[erik]

Would the performance really be increased?

it depends on what you're doing.   surfing the web; no.   rendering complicated machine parts in autocad 2008 64-bit; yes.

Would the battery life be decreased? If so, around how much?

battery life should be about the same but don't expect it to increase.

Is the driver support for the X61/X61s there? Can I get it using System Update from Lenovo?

yes and yes.

Can I still use my games and programs (ie. Sims 2, MS Office 2007, etc.)?

maybe.   most 32-bit apps are supported under WoW64 emulation but some will not install no matter what you do.   16-bit apps absolutely will not install.

Does 64-bit Vista allow me to see/utilize my entire 4GB RAM (which I'm getting in the mail soon)? And will I need at least 2x(size of RAM) for the Windows Paging file?

yes, all 4GB will be recognized.   32-bit apps can only use up to 2GB each where 64-bit native apps can use up to 128GB each.   let windows determine your page file size.   i've messed with mine for about a week and never, ever noticed a difference.

In the end - is it worth it?

it depends entirely on what you do.   in my experience, powerful, memory-intensive applications like illustrator, photoshop, lightroom, autocad 64, and solidworks all seem to run better and faster under vista 64.   office, firefox, and thunderbird all seem exactly the same.   regular windows tasks like file copy seem marginally faster but this could be a placebo effect.

the downside is that third-party driver support is lacking.   depending on your peripherals, there's a chance that not all of them will install.

in the end it's up to you.   the X61s isn't meant to be a powerful computer in the first place so don't expect it to turn into a cray supercomputer overnight.

[iamdmc]

No supercomputer, but no sub-par computer either. I'd just like to max the performance of this tiny beast.

[rhema83]

I frequently use engineering and simulation programs like MATLAB, MathCAD and AutoCAD. I am also considering the switch since I have 4GB of RAM under the hood now.

iamdmc, do you have an iPod or iPhone? iTunes is not supported under x64, so you might run into problems. Yes, I know some people managed to get iTunes running under x64, but whenever it updates, new problems arise. Seems like Steve Jobs is trying to screw the x64 crowd over.

[iamdmc]

NO iPod!!!

I had one a while back (iPod Mini) and that was enough for me. It worked well for a while, and then... yeah. I just use my Nokia phone with a 2GB MicroSD card now as an MP3 player.

But, yeah, Mac sucks for that X64 thing.

I might do a Hackintosh PC in a while - I'm surprised to hear that it's not 64-bit.

[erik]

i have itunes 7.4.3.1 running under vista ultimate x64 with no problem.   updates haven't affected me for the last 2 or 3 versions.   it may no longer be necessary but i had to install the 64-bit gear software driver to regain CD burning capability in itunes.

itunes works as advertised with both my burner and ipod nano but i cannot say what would happen with an iphone, ipod touch, or anything else.

[rhema83]

Did you run into the Quicktime installation problem (having to fool the installer into thinking that you installed in c:\program files) and VBScript problem (having to register VBScript for the installation)?

If I can get iTunes to run under x64, I should have no other problem. This is my "work" computer and all the applications should be x64 compatible.

[erik]

i ended up installing quicktime separately to get it to work.   i can view most .mov files on my HDD but some give me an error -108.   embedded movies (like found on apple.com) all work perfectly in both firefox and IE.