If you have settled on your Windows 7 edition of choice, you are not off the hook yet. You should decide whether you need the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version of Windows 7. (All editions except Starter have 32-bit version and 64-bit version.) Although the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 act and look the same on the surface, but down in the depth of their bowels, they are quite different.  Which one should you buy? The answer is without doubt a little esoteric, but it is likely that 6 or 7 years from now, all new computers will be using 64-bit flavor of latest Windows releases (Windows 8, 9,  whatever…..).

It is a simple fact that programs and games are getting too large and all Windows versions, as we know it, are simply running out of room. If you have small amount of RAM, Windows will fake it by shuffling files between hard drive, RAM and processor, doing so will slow your system significantly.  The 32-bit version of Windows – the version that all of us were having for many years – limits the amount of RAM that Windows may use. A 32-bit Windows system can detect at the most, 3.4 or 3.5 Gb (Gigabyte) of memory.  You can stick 4 Gb of RAM into your machine, but in the 32-bit universe, anything beyond 3.5 Gb is simply doesn’t exist. It just sits there wasted.  So, in 5 or 6 years from now, when programs and games need at least 4 Gb of RAM, no matter how fast your machine is and how many RAM you have, your PC will run like a slug if you still use a 32-bit Windows. The 64-bit version of Windows 7 opens up wider access to computer’s RAM, so your machine can use 17.2 billions Gb of RAM!

There is one more good reason for using a 64-bit version of Windows 7: Security! Microsoft enforced certain strict security constraints on hardware drivers for 64-bit machines – they just couldn’t be implemented in the more lax and older 32-bit system.

That surely leads to a major problem with 64-bit Windows: hardware drivers. Most computer owners have older hardware that simply does not work in any 64-bit version of Windows. Many hardware manufacturers think that it isn’t worth the time and effort to develop a solid 64-bit driver, that allow an older hardware to work well with a 64-bit operating system. As always customers tend to get the short end of the stick.

To run a 64-bit Windows version, your computer has to support 64-bit operations.  Here is a simple way to see whether your machine can handle 64-bits functions: visit grc.com/securable.htm.  Then follow the steps mentioned to run the free SecurAble program. If your machine can handle 64-bit functions, SecurAble tells you about it accurately.  If you have an older machine and want to use Windows 7, just do yourself a favor and you should stick with 32-bit version. It’s likely that you won’t start feeling the limitations of 32-bits until your machine is long past its prime. However, if you’re starting out with entirely new machine and you want to run it for a very long time (five years or more), 64-bit Windows 7 surely makes a lot of sense. Although, you may end up cursing every time you can’t find a proper 64-bit driver. But in the end, you will be better prepared for future requirements.