We knew it would come sooner or later, and from the looks of it widespread 64-bit computing might be on the horizon. Just yesterday we posted the results of our poll asking whether you’re running a 64-bit operating system, and only about a quarter of you are. That could be changing as more PC manufacturers start to push 64-bit machines.
TG Daily noticed that Gateway had started to ship consumer PC’s that are running a 64-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium. They dubbed Gateway the “first large PC vendor” to make this move, but after looking around I noticed that others are doing the same thing. HP is offering a 64-bit Vista option on many of their laptops and desktops, and some are as low as $449… nearly half the price of Gateway’s cheapest 64-bit computer. A little more digging revealed that some ASUS notebooks are also shipping with a 64-bit version of Vista.
Now we’re just sitting back waiting for other manufacturers to start adopting the technology. It’s definitely nice to see the transition to 64-bit starting to take place, and hopefully by large vendors like HP jumping on board some of the compatibility issues will be eliminated for those adopting 64-bit.
The next time you go shopping for a PC don’t be surprised if you’re walking away with a 64-bit operating system!
Enjoyed the post? Subscribe to our feed to get a daily dose of CyberNet!
Tags: Hardware, Software, Windows, Computers, Laptops, Notebooks, Windows Vista
Related Posts:
- Microsoft Sued over “Windows Vista Capable” Marketing
- Happy Birthday Vista!
- Yahoo! Getting in on Vista Gadgets
- Windows Vista 5505 Screenshots
- Windows Vista Beta 2 ATI & nVidia Drivers Available
I think actually most of those users who report using 64bit OS are probably running something like AMD-64 with 32 bit windows, and don’t know any better.
I’ve been running XP 64 for over a year, the only problem has been a couple of applications not working and some hardware drivers not being available. XP 32 and Ubuntu are also on there, but XP 64 remains the OS I use 99% of the time. It will be a long time before I’d consider installing crappy Vista on there, in any flavour.
Which ASUS models? 64-bit Vista’s been a big step up from XP 64, and I’m trying to find a notebook that isn’t crippled by the 3gb limit.
And what about us who have a OEM version of Windows Vista 32-bit? Can we use the 32-bit serial number and update the OS to 64-bit using a different dvd? Has Microsoft any option to update the license, in case it is necessary?
Adler your liscence will work with a 64 bit disc. Just make sure you use an OEM 64 bit DVD to install. You might have to call Microsoft to activate but that will only take 3-5 minutes.
Oh and I forgot to mention you can’t ‘update’ to a 64 bit OS, you need to do a clean install.
S4L0 thank you for your comment!
I will probably make a try. Nothing really to lose, as I am almost not using Windows anymore (switched to Ubuntu). Regards!
Could be. I used to tell people that if they don’t know what they’re running that they are probably running 32-bit. But now that may not always be the case seeing that computers are shipping with the 64-bit version.
Glad to hear that you’ve managed to get by with using 64-bit XP for over a year. You’re definitely one of the earlier adopters then.
The one I pulled up was the G2Sg, but there may be others.
http://usa.asus.com/products.a.....odelmenu=2
Huh, I had no idea that a 32-bit serial would work on a 64-bit installation as well. That’s pretty cool.
In my case, I definitely do know better; I’m running XP Professional x64 Edition on (don’t laugh) a Celeron-D 3.46 (Cedar Mill) with 512 MB of RAM and onboard VIA/S3 Unichrome IGP graphics (I’m entering this post via IE 6 x64). The real surprise is that XP64 is *faster* than XP32 on the same hardware (and whacks XP32 on what would seemingly be more capable non–x64 hardware, such as P4 Northwood-Cs like mine). Let’s be honest: when most of us think x64 (even XP x64) we think XEONs. Opterons. Even the odd Core2Quad. We *certainly* don’t think in terms of Celerons (despite that Intel hasn’t made a non-64-bit Celeron for desktops since 2006). XP64 and this seemingly mouse-powered PC go together like the ingredients in a BK Steakhouse Butger - deliciously fast. (In fact, here’s another welcome surprise; I had not a single driver issue, despite the VIA chipset, with XP64.)