I am a Gamer and am building a new PC, and as now I am using windows XP SP2 32Bits, I plan to use the same in future as well.

Now I know 32Bits cant detect 4GB.

So, now is it wise to use XP 64Bits?

Also, please clear the following:

1] If I use x32 with 4gb Ram, will I get any cons, other than not detecting full amount?
2] If I use x64 is their any cons? (I use a lot of photoshop etc..). Also do I need to change all my existing software’s to x64 versions?
3] In x32 say my GPU is 1 GB Memory and my Ram is 4 GB – Will I only get 3 GB of Ram detected?
4] All Games old/new play on x64 edition?

1) no cons other than utilizing the full amount of RAM

2)the only cons with XP64bit is sketchy driver support for lesser peripherals like scanners, printers, and the like. WinXP64bit runs all the same applications that you would normally use with XP32bit.

3) GPU RAM is seperate from system RAM. Your system will use all 1GB GPU RAM.

4) See answer for #2. Installing and playing the game whether on XP64 or XP32 does not make a difference. Most if not all major GPU makers have driver support for WinXP64bit.

1. No. Unless you use all four ram slots in which case you may not be able to OC as high and you will have an increased chance for stability issues. All depending on the quality of your mobo.

2. windows x64 will be able to run most of the x86 software you have. You will need to make sure you can find x64 drivers for your hardware. Also it doesn't hurt to check and make sure you current software is compatibile.

3. Can't help you there. Not many games actually use more then 512mb of gpu ram yet. You system will see the 1GB of vid ram, I just don't know if it can use it.

4. Not all your older games will play, but most will. Newer games shouldn't have any issues, alot of them (like crysis) are actually coded for x64 systems

If your going to move to x64 i would suggest going with vista as opposed to windows xp. It's stability and performance is on par and has better support IMO.

So, now is it wise to use XP 64Bits?

Yes - Except that I am of the opinion that if you're going to make the jump to 64 bit computing, you'd be better served going to Vista 64 rather than XP 64, because the newer OS now has better/further development and support, and will continue to enjoy that going forward. Whereas XP64 development has ceased, and only patches for Bugs/security will be forthcoming from MSFT.





1] If I use x32 with 4gb Ram, will I get any cons, other than not detecting full amount?

Nope - System stuff gets addressed first, then RAM, and whatever diesn't get an address is merely ignored. Unless you're looking in the management concsole you wouldn't notice much difference.


2] If I use x64 is their any cons? (I use a lot of photoshop etc..). Also do I need to change all my existing software’s to x64 versions?


No - x86 software runs just fine. The exception being if you have really old apps/games with 16 bit code or 16 bit installers.

The fundamental reason why is because in a binary level X64 is a "Superset" of X86. What that means is all the X86 instructions are included in the X64 spec - Just there are more available in X64, obviously. (And also 64 bit has the capacity to run/move larger messages per clock cycle) So as long as you have an X64 capable processor, the binaries will run unsullied and untranslated and there will be no performance impact.

On the other side of that, what matters is that the applications were code to use the proper API's for the operating system - And the Window's API hasn't significantly changed, except that drivers and apps are no longer permitted to use Kernel mode commands. For most apps it's a non-issue, but you will need to check that your drivers are compatible.


Regarding Photoshop - You should check on this. I do not believe that Adobe is supports Photoshop in XP64. The newest versions do support Vista 64.


3] In x32 say my GPU is 1 GB Memory and my Ram is 4 GB – Will I only get 3 GB of Ram detected?

The short answer is 'Not Quite" - The system itself still requires 500~750MB for itself (Bios, Chipset, and various devices/communication). So with a 1GB card, you may find yourself limited to 2.25~2.5GB of RAM, or so.



4] All Games old/new play on x64 edition?

As already mentioned - So long as you're not running 16 bit code, or games with a 16 bit installer you should be fine.