Final questions before buying my new computer system.

[Golle]

Hello, after trying this for a while with my 5+ year old computer I thought it was time to upgrade something better, or atleast something that could be bring over the 20 fps range.

So I decided I'm going to get the following:
Intel Q6600
3 gig's of 800 mhz RAM.
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L,
GeForce 8600GT - That's the best i can get for my budget.
Antec Sonata III Miditower.

Combined both RAM and Video-RAM I will have 3328 mb totally, which brings me to my questions:
Should I go for 64-bit or 32?
What do you prefer, Vista or XP? (Hardcore XP fan myself)
Can I run 32-bit application's on a 64-bit machine?

[bundeswuhr]

imo just grab 4gb ram, and a 32 bit OS, vista
4gb costs $100 AU, not much more than 3gb.
cpu finem motherboard fine
suggest stretching your budget and grabbing a 9600GT, cheaper than the 8800gt 512 mb, at around $170, but still great performance.
as for your questions,
i would take a 32 bit OS - 64 bit has and still will haev driver issues and 3rd party support problems
i prefer vista, although it did take me 4 formats 2 get my new PC working how i liked it.
and yes u can run 32bit apps on 64bit OS, but there may be driver support problems.

[Golle]

Great response thank you.

I might consider the 64-bit because of the 4 gb limit on 32-bits. I read in a thread a while ago about a guy whose computer were terribly slow because his video-memory wasn't recognised by the OS, and I don't really want to risk burning cash on a 100% compatible OS.

[Naysayer]

Great response thank you.

I might consider the 64-bit because of the 4 gb limit on 32-bits.

This is why you should stay away from a 32bit system.

[Freddie]

GeForce 8600GT - That's the best i can get for my budget.

In case you don't know, Newegg has 8800GT-512's starting at 99.99 after rebate. (I realize you may not be in the US.) [Edit: I just noticed you're in Sweden, sorry.]

Combined both RAM and Video-RAM I will have 3328 mb totally...

I don't know how you arrived at that number but I would look at it this way.

(1) With 32-bit Windows and 3 GB ram, you'll have 3072 MB of usable ram.

(2) With 32-bit XP and 4GB ram, you'll have approximately 3582 KB of ram (that's the visible amount on the PC I'm using, which has a 512 MB video card). That's an increase of 510 MB over (1).

(3) With 64-bit Windows and 4 GB ram, you'll have 4096 MB of usable ram -- an increase of 512 MB over (2).

What do you prefer, Vista or XP? (Hardcore XP fan myself)

XP because I'm used to it and it's less hassle. (I"ve got both XP and VIsta machines side by side on my desk.) But if I were buying a new PC today I'd get 64 bit Vista.

If you decide to go with 32-bit, I would get 4 GB of ram because approximately 510 MB of the fourth MB will be usable, and that last 510 MB will cost you only $16.50 (assuming you're in the US), because Newegg is selling 4 GB of 800 MHz brand-name (Kingston) ram for $66.

Can I run 32-bit application's on a 64-bit machine?

Yep.

[Golle]

Combined both RAM and Video-RAM I will have 3328 mb totally...

I don't know how you arrived at that number but I would look at it this way.

(1) With 32-bit Windows and 3 GB ram, you'll have 3072 MB of usable ram.

(2) With 32-bit XP and 4GB ram, you'll have approximately 3582 KB of ram (that's the visible amount on the PC I'm using, which has a 512 MB video card). That's an increase of 510 MB over (1).

(1) I just added RAM + Video RAM = 3328.

RAM= 3072
VIDEO RAM= 256 mb.

(2) Aha, thanks for that response, that really made my decision to stay on 32-bit. Because I was afraid it wouldn't recognize all of the total memory.

[Freddie]

That number was for a 512 MB card, but with 256 MB the operating system will see even more ram.

The maximum amount of ram that 32-bit XP can recognize is 4 GB minus whatever is on the video card (minus a little more). Therefore with a 256 MB video card, the maximum will be a little less than 3.75 GB.

Bottom line: if you get 3 GB of ram, the OS will recognize 3 GB. If you get 4 GB, the OS will recognize a little less than 3.75 GB.