Windows 7 (64 or 32 bit)

[carloscane]

Hello everyone! I just bought a MacBook Pro and I need to install Windows on it for some programs from work. I had the idea of using Windows 7 but I don't know which version should I use, 64 bit or 32 bit? I understand almost all recent MacBooks have a 64 bit processor but I don't know what the performance will be with Windows 7 installed using BootCamp.

So, which is the one that will work and if both work which one do you recommend, 64 or 32 bit?

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

How much RAM do you have and what are you planning to do? If you have 4 GB or more and want to access all of it, you'll need Win7 64.

Honestly, I'd get 64-bit unless you have something that won't work under 64-bit (like a printer or scanner or some other bit of hardware).

 

[carloscane]

Mostly I'll be using Windows to run programs like Visual Studio, Matlab, Office, Photoshop, etc. How can I know if my current printer is compatible with a 64 bit system?

Thanks for the quick response.

 

[carloscane]

I have 4 GB of RAM BTW.

 

[coochiekuta]

Mostly I'll be using Windows to run programs like Visual Studio, Matlab, Office, Photoshop, etc. How can I know if my current printer is compatible with a 64 bit system?

Thanks for the quick response.

the guy above is right. there is no reason for you not to use 64-bit. i have never heard of a printer not working in 64-bit. the only thing that would stop it, is if there were no drivers for it. windows is good about providing every driver known to man with its OS.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

Look up the driver on the manufacturer's website. Most likely, it's fine. When 64-bit first came out, almost no hardware was compatible. It's much better now, though it still has a ways to go.

In Windows, you need the 64-bit version to access more than 3.5 GB RAM, whereas this is not the case in Mac OS X (in a sense, it gets really technical really fast).

Also, I believe most retail versions come with both the 32 and 64-bit versions in the same package for Windows 7, but I'm not at all sure if this is actually the case. Don't take my word for it, find that one out. If I'm right, then you can simply install the 64-bit version and if something doesn't work go down to 32.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

the guy above is right. there is no reason for you not to use 64-bit. i have never heard of a printer not working in 64-bit. the only thing that would stop it, is if there were no drivers for it. windows is good about providing every driver known to man with its OS.

Exactly. At this point, the question isn't "Should I be using 64-bit?" but "Is there a reason I shouldn't use 64-bit?".

 

[carloscane]

Perfect, 64 bit it is. Thanks everybody for your quick replies.

 

[SuperCachetes]

Also, I believe most retail versions come with both the 32 and 64-bit versions in the same package for Windows 7, but I'm not at all sure if this is actually the case...

This is a true statement; I have both the Upgrade and Standalone versions and both have 32/64 bit install discs. Go for it and drop back to 32 if you have issues.