Updating 7 year old PC from Win7 32bit to Win8.1 64bit

TommyTheTank

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The CPU is an old Core2Duo that supports 64bit
This computer meets the minimum requirements listed for Windows 8.1 and the upgrade assistant tool says everything but safeboot will work (which im fine with)

My concern is taking a computer that has been running 32bit for 7 years and making it run 64bit, making an old CPU work harder seems like a bad idea to me but 32bit is outdated now so id really like to upgrade without buying a new computer yet

Is there anyone here that has upgraded a very old PC from 32bit to 64bit, and if so what should i expect
Also should i just get windows 7 64bit since the computer is so old, i plan to format and figured since i have to format i may as well just get the latest version of windows, but if win7 is better for older computers ill just get that
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
I run windows 10 x64 on 2006 core2duo. Prior to that I ran 8.1 x64. I believe 8.1 uses slightly less resources than 7 and it is certainly smaller. I would go for that as the upgrade to 10 (might be) free or cheaper from Windows 8.

Note you can't upgrade from 32 bit to 64 bit you'll need to do a clean install. This is a good thing anyway as it will reduce the clutter that has accumulated over the years. See here for details http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2299-clean-install-windows-8-a.html
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
My concern is taking a computer that has been running 32bit for 7 years and making it run 64bit, making an old CPU work harder seems like a bad idea to me but 32bit is outdated now
How much RAM is there on the PC?

Unless it's 4GB or more, in my opinion at least, I wouldn't bother with going to 64-bit unless you have some specific software that needs it. If it's 2GB or less, then I'd definitely stick with 32-bit.

Edit: The other advantage of sticking with 32-bit is that if might be easier to find working drivers for all the devices. I believe that 64-bit drivers can be different and harder to find for an older machine.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1, 10
Core 2 Duo, 1.6GHz on P5k MB and 2 GB of ram with Nv 8500 GPU happily running Win8.1.1, x64 on my friend's computer, he swears it's better than Win7 he had before it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
I'm was running Windows 8.1.1 X64 on my Acer Laptop. Just did a clean install of Windows 10 TP build 9879.

1.6 GHz Athlon 64 Single-Core TF-20
4GB DDR2 RAM
128GB Kingston SSD

Runs pretty good.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro X64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo IdeaCenter K450
    CPU
    Intel Quad Core i7-4770 @ 3.4Ghz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    16.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Integrated HD Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP h2207
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050@59Hz
    Hard Drives
    250GB Samsung EVO SATA-3 SSD;
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001 SATA-2;
    1.5TB Seagate ST3150041AS SATA
    PSU
    500W
    Keyboard
    Wired USB
    Mouse
    Wired USB
    Internet Speed
    3GB Up, 30GB Down
    Browser
    SeaMonkey
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender; MBAM Pro
    Other Info
    UEFI/GPT
    PLDS DVD-RW DH16AERSH
If you have a CPU that supports 64 bit than it is a 64bit CPU and if your OS is only on 32 bit than you are under using your CPU.

Personally I would use Windows 10 but I only dual boot windows, I don't have a dedicated PC for it.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 (Will go to 10)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion 15-n090sa
    CPU
    AMD A8-4555M APU
    Motherboard
    Hewlett Packard 216B
    Memory
    8Gb (2x4Gb) DDR3 @ 1366Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 7600G 768Mb @ 668Mhz
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" Smart Touch Display
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 pixels
    Hard Drives
    1TB 2.5" HDD
    PSU
    HP Battery..
    Case
    HP Pavilion 15, 15" Silver Shell
    Cooling
    2 Noisy Fans
    Keyboard
    GB Keyboard
    Mouse
    Dual Button Mouse
    Internet Speed
    1Mbps Down 100Kbps Up
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows FireWall
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