Vista 64 RAM usage
I tried out Vista 64 for the first time recently. I setup a new PC for a customer wanting to run Adobe illustrator & photoshop CS4.
So without going over-the-top, I got aPC with an intel DP45SG motherboard, a 3Ghz Core 2 duo, 8GB DDR3 RAM, and an ATI 4670.
The installation went smoothly, as did installing AntiVIR, Adobe reader, Java
Java was interesting, as the website suggested I install both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions, because I was using a 32-bit browser on a 64-bit OS…
Huh?
Sure enough, task manager shows all 32-bit processes with a “*32” at the end of the name… including ie7
I have a bit of a hunt around, and I see both ie7-32 and ie7-64 are installed… although ie7-32 is the default (apparently because many websites are not activex-64-aware… yet).
Other than that, the biggest surprise, is the RAM usage. Once started (with no other apps running, except for antivirus), task manager shows Vista-64 using anywhere between 1GB and 1.5GB… whereas I usually see vista 32 using 600 – 800Mb .
I’d heard that many 64-bit OSes can use up to twice the ram of the equivalent 32-bit OS, but I was still surprised.
Even so, that still leaves “only” 6.5Gb RAM for applications, which should make adobes CS4 apps really fly.
Hardware drivers are still the biggest issue with Vista 64. Luckily I didn’t need to install too many external devices… So my biggest problem was with a USB wireless adapter. Out of 4 cheap ebay adapters, only 1 actually had correct drivers (both on the CD and automatically downloaded from the net).
The customers printer installed flawlessly from the internet… I was pleasantly surprised.
So how is it? Its quick. I’m not equipped to do extensive benchmarks, but I didn’t notice any of the typical Vista delays when doing things like opening the control panel. The Vista “experience index” was 5.7 (based on the lowest score from the CPU).
So I can see that 64-bit is the way of the future… but only once 64-bit hardware drivers become commonplace.
Quoting an excerpt from the oracle that is Wikipedia…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit#32_vs_64_bit
“Sun’s 64-bit Java virtual machines are slower to start up than their 32-bit virtual machines because Sun has only implemented the “server” JIT compiler (C2) for 64-bit platforms.[10] The “client” JIT compiler (C1), which produces less efficient code but compiles much faster, is unavailable on 64-bit platforms.”
How relevant this tidbit is to builds of the vm available today is uncertain as the reference is not dated. Well theres an arbitrary “16 April 2009” ref but nothing specific.
I just purchased a new Sony Vaio AW290J series with 4GB or Memory and a Cor2Duo T9500 processor (and a nice 19″ 1080p monitor). It uses the 64-bit version of windows. I got the 64-bit version as I plan to upgrade this to 8GB or RAM one day and I want Windows to be able to use it all. It does seem to use a bit more memory then my old 32-bit.
I also noticed that the 64-bit version of IE runs a little smoother then the 32-bit. I get quite a few stalls and non-responses occasionally with the 32-bit. Sometimes when web pages are loading, the IE freezes up until the page is loaded. The problem is that a lot of the stuff I use like the Google toolbar isn’t available for the 64-bit version.
I also like to use a spam controller for windows mail called “cloudmark”. They don’t have a version yet for 64-bit Windows either.
I am rather frustrated with the lack of 64-bit compatibility right now. I am also waiting for a Windows update or service pack to get the 32-bit IE running better with the 64-bit windows.
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