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Half of Windows 7 Machines Running 64-Bit Version

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the way-better-than-my-one-bit-idea dept.

nk497 writes "Microsoft has said that nearly half of machines running Windows 7 are using the 64-bit version, up from just 11% of PCs running Vista. The 32-bit version is limited to 4GB RAM, while the 64-bit version allows 192GB, as well as added security and virtualization capabilities. While Microsoft is pushing 64-bit as a way to gain performance in the OS, it earlier this year advised users to install the 32-bit version of Office 2010, 'because currently many common add-ins for Office will not function in the 64-bit edition.'"

4 of 401 comments (clear)

  1. Statistics, statistics by mstefan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The reality is though that 10% of Windows systems are 64-bit (there's actually still more systems running Vista than Windows 7 out there, although the gap is shrinking). The vast majority of Windows desktops are still running the 32-bit version of Windows XP, and that's not going to change until businesses decide they have a compelling reason to upgrade.

    --
    "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein
    1. Re:Statistics, statistics by drsmithy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      64 bit isn't too far off. As a developer you'd be better off getting a copy soon and work on merging your projects over to work on 64 bit now, rather than wait for crunch time.

      Pro-active developers ? You've got to be kidding. It took the "annoyance" of Vista's UAC before developers finally started changing their Windows applications not to needlessly require admin privileges. They're not going to be implementing 64-bit support one second before "crunch time" arrived.

  2. 32 at work, 64 at home by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We use the 32 bit at work for the compatability with old the old MS Access databases (don't ask... I just work here...)

    I use the 64 bit at home - even though it causes some odd glitches with various games here and there, for the most part it runs everything much smoother. I decided that I'd need more than 4 Gigs of RAM to run Visual Studio to Debug my modified Source game.

  3. Re:What about flash? by Joe+Snipe · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Did you just say that we don't have 64-bit flash because Windows uses 32-bit IE because we don't have 64-bit flash?

    --
    Sometimes, life itself is sarcasm...