Windows 7: 32 or 64 ?

Hi ---

Have a new iMac (27", 2.7Ghz, 4GB RAM) that I want to stuff with Parallels 7 and Win 7. For overall performance does it make a difference whether I use 32 bit or 64 bit WIn 7 ? Also, is there a PERCEPTIBLE increase in performance in going from 4 to 8 GB RAM ? How about to 16GB ? I realize this is somewhat dependent on what apps are actually running on Win 7, but am really looking for some general guidelines.

Thanks in advance !

 

It really depends on your usage on both counts. Clarifying what you're doing with your VM would help if you want feedback. Better yet, monitor your current usage. The only general guidelines that exist are that 64 bit and more memory are beneficial if you need them. You can't expect people to list out every possible situation where that might be the case.

 

With a 4GB Host running Lion, you'll be limited to 2GB Guest Machine (above this limit you'll have performance issues with the host and guest). With 2GB Limit there's no reason to use a 64 bits Windows, except if you really need a x64 architecture for a specific program. If you think you need more than 2.75GB of RAM for your windows VM, you'll need a 64 bits version and of course upgrade the host RAM.