Thinkpads Forum

I just order a thinkpad x61 tablet with Intel Core 2 Duo processor L7700 (1.80GHz 800MHz 4MBL2).
I'm thinking to upgrade to 4GB memory by myself (lenovo is way much more expensive). The problem is that the Vista ultimate is 32 bit edition (I have called lenovo and make sure about that). It can't handle 4GB memory.

My friend has a Vista 64bit retail version. Could I simply install that 64 bit Vista with my own serial number?
Thank you for your time.

No, your 32-bit license will only work with the Vista version currently loaded on your computer. It will not activate any 64-bit versions.

I thought Vista came with the option of 32- or 64-bit on each disc, and that you could install whichever you preferred. It's the different "trim levels" (Business, Home, Ultimate, etc) that the different licenses won't let you activate.

That said, I doubt the extra gig of RAM would make it worth dealing with the headaches the 64-bit Windows will bring on. Try 3gb first to see if it's good enough. If you're satisfied, you shouldn't bother with 64-bit.

Rest assured.
Your Vista license will work for both 32bit and 64bit version.

I'm running with 3Gbs and 32bit, and its fine.
I figured just wasn't worth the hassle right now to upgrade to 64 just to support the extra gb, and any extra benefits

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I decide to remove 1GB memory from my old X60s and make X61t 2GB memory first. I hope it can make Vista work fluent.

Is there big difference for the performance between 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm hard drives? Maybe I will upgrade the hard drive instead of memory.

My X61T has 3 GB. Unless you are running heavy-duty media apps or virtualization you will see little difference between 2 and 3 GB, and even less going from 3 to 4 GB.

If you already have 2 GB (the optimal amount for average use in Vista, IMO), consider saving your money for one of the new 500 GB Samsung Spinpoint M6 2.5" hard drives which should be hitting online stores later this month. You'll notice a bigger difference with this fast hard drive than by adding an extra gig of ram that only ends up getting used for file cache anyways.

I upgraded my X61 to 3GB RAM and fitted a Hitachi 7K200 7200rpm drive. Both items were inexpensive and gave the system a significant performance boost in Windows Vista Business 32bit.

I use my X61 for systems development and that means running a database server, IIS, Visual Studio, Photoshop etc. Overall, I am very satisfied with the performance.

The Hitachi drive is much quieter than the earlier 7K100 model fitted to my X31. I have the 100GB model.

Good luck with your upgrades.

j-dawg wrote:I thought Vista came with the option of 32- or 64-bit on each disc, and that you could install whichever you preferred. It's the different "trim levels" (Business, Home, Ultimate, etc) that the different licenses won't let you activate.

That said, I doubt the extra gig of RAM would make it worth dealing with the headaches the 64-bit Windows will bring on. Try 3gb first to see if it's good enough. If you're satisfied, you shouldn't bother with 64-bit.

that's what i thought so too. you can order 64-bit media for current 32-bit licensees but afaik 32- bit ultimate should come with 64-bit

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/2 ... fault.mspx