Gaming in 64bit

[mojojr]

although I love vista I have problems with my 64-bit. my advice to you is make sure all your games are compatible. once everything converts it will be the way to go.

 

[SCSIraidGURU]

Oblivion played great in x64 Ultimate.

 

[Redviper]

although I love vista I have problems with my 64-bit. my advice to you is make sure all your games are compatible. once everything converts it will be the way to go.

What games and what sorts of problems, if I may ask?

 

[FrustratedMan]

Dude, do the 64 bit. OEM is great, if you need "support" you can get better support right here than you can from Microsoft, and it's FREE lol.

True that. I just built a new machine and spent several hours on the phone with Microsoft Tech support, and the only thing I came away with was how to "clean" the drive before you install. I found better help (and more relevant information) here than Microsoft has.

 

[hoojee]

is there a price difference in x86 and x64? i bought x64 OEM for same price as x86 250AUD..

so happy just built new system, no problems with hardware/software compatability so far, i found all the 64 bit drivers i needed, ie. printer, etc and all my applications i need seem to run nicely without problem.. except, cuz of the permissions thing, punkbuster seems to have problems downloading files for cod4 and keeps getting kicked =(

 

[dmex]

Dude, do the 64 bit. OEM is great, if you need "support" you can get better support right here than you can from Microsoft, and it's FREE lol.

True that. I just built a new machine and spent several hours on the phone with Microsoft Tech support, and the only thing I came away with was how to "clean" the drive before you install. I found better help (and more relevant information) here than Microsoft has.

Down here they just refer you to KB articles on there site and dont bother doing anything else unless you pay them for the support...oh and Bubba got banned a few weeks ago.

Steven

 

[JonMCC33]

Down here they just refer you to KB articles on there site and dont bother doing anything else unless you pay them for the support...oh and Bubba got banned a few weeks ago.

Steven

Most KB articles are pretty good and resolve a lot of problems. I've been using them for quite some time as a valuable resource. There's are far more resources from Microsoft as well before you even call them.

 

[dmex]

Down here they just refer you to KB articles on there site and dont bother doing anything else unless you pay them for the support...oh and Bubba got banned a few weeks ago.

Steven

Most KB articles are pretty good and resolve a lot of problems. I've been using them for quite some time as a valuable resource. There's are far more resources from Microsoft as well before you even call them.

Yeah they are, I learnt a very, very long time ago it was pointless calling them for help with anything

 

[WildEagle]

90 perfcent of my games run on Vista 64. The games that don't are either too old, or use some hybrid install routine, or a 16bit install routine, or are 16bit programs.

 

[Skulltrail]

For all HP computers, 64-bit is pretty good. They supply customers with all the necessary drivers for both 32-bit and 64-bit of the default operating system which is packaged with the system. Mine came with Vista Home Premium, which I late upgraded to Ultimate x64 and found all the drivers right on the HP website.

If you build the computer and only buy the components, it will probably be difficult to find certain drivers. Any graphics card is available in 64-bit but any non-standard component like an extra feature on the computer case like LED info may not.

If you find a computer you are really interested in buying, find the drivers first if you plan on actually getting 64-bit. Otherwise you'll be fine with 32-bit drivers with XP or Vista.

 

[Weatherwax]

I would definitely go with the 64 if your a gamer. I haven't had any issues with drivers yet and yes, there are a lot of updates but that doesn't bother me too much. The only setback that does bother me is that a lot of applications that I liked aren't compatible with x64. But the speed when running heavy games makes it totally worth it!

 

[Redviper]

I would definitely go with the 64 if your a gamer. I haven't had any issues with drivers yet and yes, there are a lot of updates but that doesn't bother me too much. The only setback that does bother me is that a lot of applications that I liked aren't compatible with x64. But the speed when running heavy games makes it totally worth it!

I agree with this in general, but the fact that not all gamers are interested in cutting edge games. If you have a stable of older 32bit games that you love I would suggest staying away from 64bit entirely.

 

[WildEagle]

I would definitely go with the 64 if your a gamer. I haven't had any issues with drivers yet and yes, there are a lot of updates but that doesn't bother me too much. The only setback that does bother me is that a lot of applications that I liked aren't compatible with x64. But the speed when running heavy games makes it totally worth it!

I agree with this in general, but the fact that not all gamers are interested in cutting edge games. I you have a stable of older 32bit games that you love I would suggest staying away from 64bit entirely.

Horsehockey, 90 percent of 32bit games will run just fine on Vista 64, those that don't are either two old, or use a 16bit or 24bit install routine. However, if you want everything to run, than stick to 32bit Vista.

 

[Virtualk28]

Having just installed Win. X64, I'll admit that I've had some trouble getting some of my games to work. It my be "operator error", and I'm still working it out though. My wife is a photographer and the X64 stuff is working perfectly for her.

 

[Redviper]

Having just installed Win. X64, I'll admit that I've had some trouble getting some of my games to work. It my be "operator error", and I'm still working it out though. My wife is a photographer and the X64 stuff is working perfectly for her.

Which is why I said what I did. The last thing we need are more Vista "horror stories." You obviously have the stones to stick with it, but that's rare. Let folks come to 64bit on their own.

 

[Virtualk28]

Well, its been a bit trying...but I'll say one thing...its a great OS with some fantastic features. I'm thinking that the problems I'm having are driver issues, but I certainly would'nt tell someone not to get it. It just takes some patience sometimes, and a great forum to answer the questions when they come up.

 

[Redviper]

I was gung-ho about about reccomending Vista in general, at first. The problem is that its taken so much undeserved bad press that even lots of supposedly tech savvy people bristle at the mention of the word "Vista."

 

[S.SubZero]

Having just installed Win. X64, I'll admit that I've had some trouble getting some of my games to work. It my be "operator error", and I'm still working it out though. My wife is a photographer and the X64 stuff is working perfectly for her.

You can always list the OS you are using (XP64 or Vista x64) and the games you are unable to get running and perhaps someone here has some experience in the matter (if Google has not already provided help).

So far nothing I have tried in XP64 or Vista x64 has failed to run, and I have gone back as far as Age of Empires, the original.

 

[Redviper]

It's important, IMO, to take hardware into account as well when offering advice. Generally, among the people I know, most have far less than contemporary HW, and they're satisfied mostly because the games they play don't need advanced HW or SW.

 

[johngalt]

But you're not making recommendations to the people that you know because, as you say,

and they're satisfied mostly because the games they play don't need advanced HW or SW.

So, when making recommendations to *others* you need to look at what they are running and what possibilities they may run in the future. To say that you will not run / recommend x64 OSs because a person is 'comfortable' with x86 OSs is mildly absurd - I mean, hell, I'd recommend 32bit too - except that within 2 years you won't be able to run 32bit OSs unless your machine is cripplingly old. 32bit OSs cannot make full use of 4 GB RAM - and Vista already needs 3 GB to run adequately.

To recommend that someone stay with a 32bit OS would be pertinent ***only*** is if you are 100% sure they are not planning on doing any hardware upgrades in the near future, and neither are they going to need any advanced capabilities from their already x64 compliant hardware.

I have seen all the Vista bad press - and yet I am still pushing for Vista as the established OS. Part of the bad press comes from OEMs pushing machines that were not really Vista capable as 'Vista capable" and another part of the bad press comes from perennial naysayers who just like to bash Microsoft (Ed Bott did a great expose on some 'technical writer' who bashed Vista earlier this year - turns out that the same guy used almost the same words for XP 7 years ago - and Bott proved it with Google Archive material.

I don't care what others think about an OS - my personal experience matters more to me.

Finally, as to taking into account hardware when making recommendations: Good idea, but you forgot one important thing:

• This is a Gaming forum
• The topic of *this* thread.

You also need to be aware of *where* you're posting to see if your posts are all that relevant or not.