Hey guys. So my friend is upgrading to a radeon 7790 (he's on a tight budget of €120, if you can find a better card for €120 or less as close to Ireland as possible let me know) and he asked me to upgrade him from windows vista at last to windows 7. He has 4GB of memory in is system. I was thinking should I put 32-bit or 64-bit windows 7 on his PC. 32-bit will use less memory so it can go as low as 500MB for the system if a game is really memory intense but with 32-bit some of the 4GB will be lost so it could end up being 3.5GB or 3GB usable leaving the 3GB or 2.5GB of memory free for games. If I install 64-bit it takes up almost 2GB of memory. That leaves 2GB left and he will be able to use all his memory. I can't decide which is better 32-bit or 64-bit and was wondering if any of you have some information to share with me on this topic. Thanks for your help! (4GB is the max his mobo can take so no upgrading the RAM.)
I'd go 64. Consider that he's going to come to you for the next upgrade anyway ( probably a mobo), why have to reinstall...
4GB of RAM requires 64-bit. Always go with 4GB+ and 64-bit as a minimum for a gaming system. Some games require 4GB as an absolute minimum. His 7790 has its own RAM to render games. So let the system access the entirety of the system RAM. Otherwise, it will just sit there not getting used.
You might consider the 7850, which only costs a little more than the 7790. Approximately 130 euros.
He wants to move up to windows 7 since windows vista can be a little troublesome. Thanks!
Do games that require 4GB not need more memory because 64-bit uses more memory than 32-bit or do the companies take 64-bit OS into account when deciding on what thwy say the requirements are? Thanks! The retailers in Ireland have higher prices than other countries when converted into euros for some reason so normally components are overpriced her but I'll look around again and see if there is a 7850 around €120 or €130
Just get 64. If you want more ram there won't be any trouble. It is easier for everyone.
I don't understand what you're asking. Are you under the assumption that an operating system will use all the RAM. Therefore, there wouldn't be any RAM for games to use? This is incorrect.
Imagine the operating system as a sphere, and inside this sphere is where all your applications and files exist. So by allowing the operating system to use more RAM, you're allowing the operating system to allocate more RAM to various tasks. That includes games. Games run inside the sphere, not outside it.
64bit simple, you may or may not require its memory assignment abilities right now but in a few years you probably will, getting a 64bit version now simply means youl have an OS that viable right up till its stopped being supported by the maker.
http://fr.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx785aznfc 137.40 euro from amazon.fr
I would even suggest grabbing some larger RAM modules. 4GB is a baseline for many games. Some games are now starting to require 6GB, or even 8GB, to run optimally.
he did say the boards max was 4....which i find odd but i must take his word for it, i mean i cant actually remember having a board with a 4 gig max limit :P, unless its a crossover board, with 2 slots for DDR2 and 2 for DDR3, hate those with a passion.
I figured he was counting slots, and not the max motherboard support.
The board has only 2 DDR2 slots so it's a bit of a pain... and as far as I have seen the max capacity for 1 DDR2 module is 2GB. My own dell e521 (which i want to smash to pieces!) has 4 ddr2 slots and dell say each slot can take a 1GB module max per slot. 2Gb sticks do work since I have tried one but my dell is so screwed up that all the dimms are dead except for the fourth one. I will never let my dad buy dell again! Custom builds from here on out!
your probably right, perhaps if the Op could post the motherboard in question we could give other suggestions/advice.
I understand. Yeah, avoid Dell's and OEM PCs. It is quite easy to build your own, and anyone in the forums can direct you with that.
4GB is fine in the meantime. The platform might hold you back somewhat, but it is very appropriate with something like a 7790. You will be able to play games.
There are larger modules of DDR2, but they are not worth the cost.
A 64-bit OS needs around 1.9GBs of ram to run. When a game developer writes out the specifications and say that 4GB is needed, does that 4GB they say you need include the operating system or is it the game alone that needs 4GB and then the OS uses even more ram meaning you need at least 6GB of ram?
i use 64bit win7 on a machine with only 2gb or ram, i don't know where you're getting these numbers from
Yeah I think I'll go for 64-bit thanks! I'll see if he'll stretch his budget any further. The original amount he wanted to spend was €100 but I got him to go up to €120. I'll see if he'll go a little higher.
Do you play games on your system? My dad had 2GB on a laptop before with 64-bit windows 7 installed and it was always in the high 80% range to 90% just idiling.
You need 64bit to utilise the entirety of the memory in the system. You have no choice but to run 64bit if you want to utilise the limited memory that you have.
But to answer your question: Any given value, given by developer or hardware manufacturer, will take into account your whole system. The same can be said for things like graphics cards. A manufacturer might state a 500W minimum requirement, but this is not solely for the GPU. It will include the entire system, with a slight over-estimate.
I can tell you that games will quite easily eat up your 4GB of lower binned DDR2. To use a 32-bit OS would just cripple you further.
At the very least, you could use that 64-bit OS on a future system. Transferring the OS when you decide to upgrade.
I know how to build my own rig but I just don't have the money right now. I can't slowly upgrade because changing anything major will cause almost my whole system to change. The case is completely abnormal (the board is on the wrong side of the case but it's not as if it's a normal matx flipped around and rotated. Cpu cant be upgraded because there is no point in getting a am2+ cpu anymore and the system might not recogise it anyway. since the board is upside down and the pci-e 16x is at the top there is not another pci brachet above it so I can't install a dual slot GPU. Dell are just a pain!!!