New Macbook Pro i7/8gb Ram - Windows 7 32bit or 64bit?

[DJ Young Dirty]

Ok so I just purchased my first Mac.

15" MacBook Pro
i7 2.66
8gb Ram
500gb 7200rpm HD

I'm purchasing Parallels Desktop 5 with the intent on Windows 7. Should I get a 32bit Version or a 64bit Version... are there any majors pros/cons to either?

Your help is GREATLY appreciated!

Thank You

 

[iduff]

I've got a VM of each on my P5 build 9344/MBP6,1 Core i7 (same config as you, just 17"), and can find no real performance difference between the two at just the OS/VM level. Windows Experience numbers are the same, loads the same, uses the same amount of memory.

I'm sure there will be increasingly compelling reasons to use 64 bit Windows x64, but they don't appear to have arrived yet. I will be migrating to the 64 bit version as the apps I require allow it.

There are differences in app support, but that's a 32 vs 64 bit Windows issue, and not as a result of how Parallels supports them. I would tend to ignore the Parallels considerations in your decision, as it appears to me to be moot, and focus on which Windows will work better for you regarding app support.

 

[MIDACS]

The big thing seems to be memory.. with 64-bit Win7 in Bootcamp I see about 3.8GB of memory, but with 32-bit Win7 I only get 2.18GB of usable memory! That's pretty sad.. must be something with the new chipset the I7 uses...