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How much Ram for Seven 64b?


pointertovoid

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Hello you all!

 

I've no experience with Seven (used 95, 98, Me, 2k, Xp) but consider installing the 64b variant on a friend's computer having Xp up to now who uses only a web browser.

 

The machine has 1GB Ram, which MS says is the minimum for Seven - but usually this minimum doesn't suffice to my taste. I'd add some capacity if installing Seven.

 

So: at what Ram size does Seven 64b run at full speed?

 

Thank you!

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Friend's computer sitting next to be. Win7 Ultimate with 1gb RAM and runs just fine ATM. :yes: Plans on using a plotter with it for making spray paint templates (auto, cycle, etc), which means they will probably need to get a graphics editor, so I suggested going another 1gb (takes max 4gb).

 

Also, is the MoBo/CPU a 64-bit? If not, that Win7x64 is a no-go anyway. "Uses only web browser" kind of makes it pointless to go overboard, doesn't it? Stay with the existing hardware and go 32-bit. ;)  A 3d party Real-Time Antivirus (in lieu of Windows Defender) will eat more RAM so, that's your choice but still 1.5->2gb should suffice. Also, heed the above comments.

 

HTH

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It also depends on the CPU, it needs to be dual core or more for the 64bit arcitecture to work.

It's a lot more demanding on RAM as well so unless you're upgrading the RAM and you have a dual core CPU there is little point.

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HUH??? :crazy:

Then what's an AMD x64 (have one sitting right here - a 3800+) or an Intel Core 2, if not Single-Core x64?

 

AMD (also comes in x2 Dual-Core flavor, got one right here)

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K8/TYPE-Athlon%2064.html

There's also the low-end Semprons -

http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K8/TYPE-Sempron%2064.html

Intel - (Single, Dual, Quad)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_2

Intel Celeron (have one right here)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celeron

 

Just to start the list off.

 

You've been misinformed, New Person. ;) But thanks for your input. :yes:

Edited by submix8c
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http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/system-requirements

 

:whistle:

 

Rule of the thumb is that a 2x factor on processor speed and a 3x factor to RAM requirements by MS are needed to have a "working" machine.

 

A 64 bit OS makes no sense whatsoever unless you have more than 4 Gb  of RAM (and you actually *need* to use it).

 

jaclaz

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Rule of the thumb is that a 2x factor on processor speed and a 3x factor to RAM requirements by MS are needed to have a "working" machine.

If that's the answer, what's the question?

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Rule of the thumb is that a 2x factor on processor speed and a 3x factor to RAM requirements by MS are needed to have a "working" machine.

If that's the answer, what's the question?
Maybe looking in first post on the thread would help.

You may want it in an extended format:

 

 

The machine has 1GB Ram, which MS says is the minimum for Seven - but usually this minimum doesn't suffice to my taste. I'd add some capacity if installing Seven.

NO.

1 GB is the minimum requirement for a 32 bit Windows 7, from the mouth of the wolf:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/system-requirements

the 64 bit version has according to Microsoft the minimum requirement of 2 Gb.

The other requirements in the given page are:

a 1 Ghz processor

a 32-bit or 64-bit processor (no mention of number of cores).

But you are right, usually those requirements are "really minimum" ones and in practice you need higher specs to have the machine run smoothly.

 

 

 

So: at what Ram size does Seven 64b run at full speed?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/system-requirements

 

:whistle:

 

Rule of the thumb is that a 2x factor on processor speed and a 3x factor to RAM requirements by MS are needed to have a "working" machine.

 

A 64 bit OS makes no sense whatsoever unless you have more than 4 Gb  of RAM (and you actually *need* to use it).

What is the problem (if any)?

jaclaz

P.S.: Anyone with some past experience on XP may need to be remembered what the minimum requirements for XP were:

https://web.archive.org/web/20040701035729/http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/sysreqs.mspx

Edited by jaclaz
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I didn't expect you to answer a question asked 8 days ago. :D But well..

It's also very subjective as to what "run well" means. If you take your XP example an say XP is running fine with 466MHz and 384MB RAM, your rule of thumb crumbles with the years. Even at the time (2001), those were weak specs for a processor but now... :w00t: . Anybody that's used the same XP machine with 512 then 1Gig of RAM knows the difference.

So chance is that in 10 years from now, people will laugh at the idea of running Win7 with "only" 3GB.

In the mean time, I think 2GB would be more than enough to browse the web under Win7 (64bit or not).

As for 64bit, if any version is available (what's licensing today? :angel ) that could save him from reinstalling in a few years when (if) more RAM is needed. That is also only IF that machine (that was "having XP up to now") can even take more than those 2Gig.

Cheers.

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Well, using a 64 bit OS without any *need* for it is foolish (you can browse the web fine with a 32 bit system).

Compare with the "But ... then, why?" in my signature.

 

Using a 64 bit OS on a machine with 1 Gb of Ram is not respecting the minimum requirements by MS (that have been traditionally a real bare minimum).

 

Running a 64 bit OS with less than 4 Gb of Ram makes no sense, unless there is a *need* for it, as the only practical advantage of a 64 bit OS is that of being capable (or being licensed) to run more than 4 Gb of RAM.

 

A 64 bit OS will occupy more space on disk.

There will be more bytes transferred from the mass storage devices to RAM.

 

The only possible *need* for a 64 bit OS is that of using some "high end" programs that need lots of RAM and fast operations with large numbers, typically graphical programs, very large databases, computational programs and the like that are actually optimized on 64 bit architecture. 

 

This said, if pointertovoid matches the minimum requirement of 2 Gb and senselessly installs a 64 bit Windows 7 on his "browsing the internet only" friend's machine it's perfectly fine :thumbup:, his friend would not notice any particular difference in his computing experience, though, IF a difference will be noticed it will most probably be that of having the machine less fast/responsive than before.

 

jaclaz

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You can even boot x64 on (some) single core Atom CPUs. :P

 

I kind of said it wrong. It depends on the CPU of course and whether or not it supports 64bit architecture.

 

Well, yes I was told it needed to be dual core... Don't really know why I believed that...

Edited by Jared44
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