[charliehendricks281]

I am thinking to upgrade my OS. I am currently running Win XP 32 bit, and my CPU is 64bit.

I heard that I can use more than 3 gb of RAM with 64bit, but to upgrade the ram and OS, I am looking at about $200.

Is it worth it?

Will there be a noticable speed increase?

[Dellinsp531]

What are the spec for your computer?

[LiveBrianD]

I doubt there'll be a speed in increase with a 64-bit OS - it's just something you need if you want more than ~3GB RAM. That said, you WILL notice the difference upgrading from XP to Windows 7 - the UI is better, and it works better with multiple cores. (don't even bother with 8)

[ComputerEngineer]

charliehendricks281, on 10 October 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

I am thinking to upgrade my OS. I am currently running Win XP 32 bit, and my CPU is 64bit.

I heard that I can use more than 3 gb of RAM with 64bit, but to upgrade the ram and OS, I am looking at about $200.

Is it worth it?

Will there be a noticable speed increase?

It may get slower if your specs aren't enough... Example, you increase the weight and you need a stronger forklift...!

[ElfBane]

charliehendricks281, on 10 October 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

I am thinking to upgrade my OS. I am currently running Win XP 32 bit, and my CPU is 64bit.

I heard that I can use more than 3 gb of RAM with 64bit, but to upgrade the ram and OS, I am looking at about $200.

Is it worth it?

Will there be a noticable speed increase?

This probably won't be an "upgrade" per se. Installing an x64 OS will almost certainly require a clean install, which means you'll need to backup all your personal data and will have to reload all your apps. Good luck.

[Szczecinianin]

Soon you may have to upgrade as more and more apps are for Windows 7. Like Adobe says its CS7 no more supports XP, requires Win 7 and 8 is recommended. I use Win 7 and it wasn't difficult to learn and I switched from ME. Windows 7 is a good option: zip is integrated and so is parent controll, firewall and other stuff. Companies are willingly implementing it. And obviously your computer is not too old as you 're gonna need a newer one.

This post has been edited by Szczecinianin: 11 October 2012 - 01:47 AM

[smax013]

charliehendricks281, on 10 October 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

I am thinking to upgrade my OS. I am currently running Win XP 32 bit, and my CPU is 64bit.

I heard that I can use more than 3 gb of RAM with 64bit, but to upgrade the ram and OS, I am looking at about $200.

Is it worth it?

Will there be a noticable speed increase?

As noted by at least one other, the main reason to consider the jump from 32 bit to 64 bit (all other factors being equal) is if you want to use more than the technical upper limit of 4 GB of RAM (in reality, it comes out to be about 3 to 3.5 GB of RAM available for programs to use). Beyond that, there is not much reason to jump from a 32 bit OS to a 64 bit one (all other factors being equal). If you can live with 3.5 +/- RAM for the type of things you use your computer for, then don't bother.

Now, not all things are equal. In your case, going from 32 bit XP to a 64 bit OS likely means going to Windows 7 (right now) or maybe Windows 8 if you wait until the end of the month. There are definite advantages to upgrading from XP to Windows 7 (and even Windows 8), but there might be some disadvantages depending on your situation (not too likely, but not out of the realm of possibility). And while some might be down on Windows 8, one definite positive is it would be cheaper to upgrade to it (as opposed to Windows 7), I believe. So, if you basically want all/most of the benefits for Windows 7 and can live with the "Modern UI" (i.e. the "tile" interface) log enough to get into the "desktop mode", then I would not take Windows 8 off the table for cost reasons.

http://www.pcworld.c...rom_win_xp.html

$40 to $70 to go from XP to Windows 8 during the promotion period. The compares with at least about $100 for a Windows 7 Home upgrade license (more if you go with a new retail license or the Pro or Ultimate upgrade version).

This post has been edited by smax013: 11 October 2012 - 02:19 AM

[LiveBrianD]

I think that, as long as he has a dualcore CPU (Pentium D, Athlon x2, or later), he should be able to run Windows 7 just fine.

[compnovo]

smax013, on 11 October 2012 - 02:15 AM, said:

[$40 to $70 to go from XP to Windows 8 during the promotion period. The compares with at least about $100 for a Windows 7 Home upgrade license (more if you go with a new retail license or the Pro or Ultimate upgrade version).

Not only will you save money, you'll see a greater performance boost with Win8. The short learning curve is worth it.

[Michael9782c]

charliehendricks281, on 10 October 2012 - 08:58 AM, said:

I am thinking to upgrade my OS. I am currently running Win XP 32 bit, and my CPU is 64bit.

I heard that I can use more than 3 gb of RAM with 64bit, but to upgrade the ram and OS, I am looking at about $200.

Is it worth it?

Will there be a noticable speed increase?

There can be a noticable speed increase if you use applications that consume lot of memory. If you plan to upgrade also your RAM memory you may see a difference, but it depends of the programs that you use.