There is little to no difference between running a 32 bit app on a 64 bit OS vs. 32 bit OS (i.e. no performance hit).
Where you can see a difference, favorably, is if the 32 bit application is memory intensive. I believe that a 64 bit OS will allow the 32 bit application to run using up to a full 4GB of RAM, vs. the 3GB max of a 32 bit OS. This is particularly evident when running multiple memory intensive 32 bit apps simultaneously (each with up to 4GB RAM). However, running a 64 bit OS with only 3 GB of memory is a crime against computing! There is little (anything?) to be gained by running 32 bit applications on a 64 bit OS without making available the additional memory that the 64 bit OS would allow. Gaining access to additional RAM is among, if not THE, most desirable aspects of a 64 bit OS. Mike --- In [email protected], "Barry" <razzba...@...> wrote: > > I have an Intel core 2 duo processor and would like to know if things run > faster with the 64 bit OS over the 32 bit. Most of my programs are 32 bit > and I had heard that running them on a 64 bit system makes them slower. Is > that true? If I am going to upgrade to windows 7 I might as well use the > faster OS version if it helps performance. I have only 3GB of memory if that > makes a difference. > > I guess device drivers could be a nightmare too. > > Thanks, > Barry >
