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Upgrading from xp32bit to Win7 64bit is it worth it?

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N8N8N8

N8N8N8

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I got xp 32bit and everyone is telling me to upgrade to win 7 64 bit. Is it really worth it? sure I can use more ram but is that worth it? What other benefits are there in speed wise? Will all my hardware work and programs work on win 7 64bit?

IF I upgrade to 64bit do I need to do a fresh install or can I just transfer everything to windows 7? I really don't feel like reinstalling everything and like the way my desktop looks lol.

Ty
n8
 
You won't see all the benefits unless you do a full reinstall so if you're unwilling to put forth that effort I wouldn't bother.
 
if I do a fresh install what benefit would I get? Would to performance be alot better then xp?
 
I think me means upgrade the OS not buy the Windows 7 Upgrade disc... although even if he wanted to upgrade as SteveLord is thinking, it can not be done as as far as I know you cant upgrade from 32bit to 64bit anyways.
 
Cuiiey said:
I think me means upgrade the OS not buy the Windows 7 Upgrade disc... although even if he wanted to upgrade as SteveLord is thinking, it can not be done as as far as I know you cant upgrade from 32bit to 64bit anyways.
Click to expand...

that is correct. you can't upgrade from a 32 bit OS to a 64 bit OS in the world of micrsoft, no matter if the upgrade path is supported or not.
 
mbentley said:
that is correct. you can't upgrade from a 32 bit OS to a 64 bit OS in the world of micrsoft, no matter if the upgrade path is supported or not.
Click to expand...

Your best bet if this was the case would be to back up your files and then choose the Custom option during Windows installation. Then, you'll need to restore your files and reinstall your programs. :)
 
you have to "migrate" from xp to Win7 you will never be able to run an upgrade. it doesn't matter if it is 32bit or 64 bit it just isn't possible.

Best practices is to download the latest user migration tool from Microsoft. this will copy your profile data. you will need to reinstall programs and if you format the drive before install, move any left over data not in your profile.
 
Unless you have a very good reason to actually need more than 4 GB of RAM (professional Photoshop user, etc.) you may acquire (not so) old hardware in the future and not be able to use it because of 64-bit driver problems.

I would wait to go 64-bit unless you actually heavily use RAM intensive applications. If you take a sample of 10,000 64-bit users and compare it to a sample of 10,000 32-bit users, who has more headaches with compatibility and other computer problems? 64-bit users do by far.

This is why whenever possible, dual boot, then directly compare for a while.
 
As well unless you use programs that have a 64-bit option really its a toss up. I've gone 64-bit and haven't looked back. I as well wouldn't consider getting a new OS unless it was 64-bit period.

New fresh clean install is nice, and helps out speed wise. More memory can be helpful if the program supports it or if you have multiple programs open at once and don't like using swap that much. Though if you use any program that supports 64-bit, there are typically performance increases with them, including games.
 
I love my new Win7 64bit Professional edition. As much as I loved XP Win7 is pretty awesome. Only crashes are due to my overclocking skills (or lack thereof)
 
you probably will not notice much in the way of performance gains. The 64 bit support will spped things up, but going from XP to Win7 will slow it back down again, one balances out the other. However win XP is old and creaky, go ahead and do it, you will not regret it.
 
Don't forget to check if software you use works on 64-Bit.

You'll be OK with the new stuff but old software tends not to go through on 64-Bit.
 
c627627 said:
Don't forget to check if software you use works on 64-Bit.

You'll be OK with the new stuff but old software tends not to go through on 64-Bit.
Click to expand...

Good point, but if he goes with pro then he can use the XP mode in win 7 to use his old progs.
 
Wathnix said:
you probably will not notice much in the way of performance gains. The 64 bit support will spped things up, but going from XP to Win7 will slow it back down again, one balances out the other. However win XP is old and creaky, go ahead and do it, you will not regret it.
Click to expand...

In my experience, Win7x64 impressed me over XP since day one. After 6 months of being installed, XP started feeling "clunky", and would start giving me BSOD's on a fairly regular basis. Win7 has now been installed since the RTM release date, which I had gotten through MSDNAA. I have not had any problems whatsoever, and it still runs as smooth as the day I first installed it. As a matter of fact, the only reason I have plans to reinstall, is to finally put my Vertex 30GB to use.
 
hafa said:
Not to mention the improved security in Win7 VS XP and the fact that Windows updates for XP end in 2012, just + one year from now.
Click to expand...
Windows 8 will be available by then and from what I understand there will only be Windows 8 64-Bit. I hope they change their mind and offer Windows 8 32-Bit but as things stand now, I think there may be only Windows 8 64-Bit.

So speaking of "just + one year from now" whoever is concerned over Windows XP end of life support will have Windows 8 option when that happens. :shrug: :)
 
deadlysyn said:
In my experience, Win7x64 impressed me over XP since day one. After 6 months of being installed, XP started feeling "clunky", and would start giving me BSOD's on a fairly regular basis. Win7 has now been installed since the RTM release date, which I had gotten through MSDNAA. I have not had any problems whatsoever, and it still runs as smooth as the day I first installed it. As a matter of fact, the only reason I have plans to reinstall, is to finally put my Vertex 30GB to use.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree that win 7 is better than XP, however we were talking about computing performance, and win 7 has been shown to be slower than XP, no surprise since XP is smaller.
 
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