If I'm correct, Vista-32bit supports 3GB of memory and Vista-64bit supports 16GB of memory. I'm going to buy a computer with 8GB of memory and Vista-64bit. I wonder, if I'll buy Vista independently as out-system package, will it have an ability to repair Windows? I mean, I know, that you can make a whole reinstall, but will it be able to repair it instead? I'm talking about not a recovery disc, that comes with a computer for example, but a independent Vista package, that I could buy from Amazon.com for example. Also I want to know, will Vista-64bit support all 32bit programs and games? Also, how do you think, Quad Core 3GHzX4 processor with 8GB of memory will support all highest level games for at least 5 years? Thanks.
In terms of functionality, 32-bit OSes are stopped at 3GB in terms of functionality. You can run with 4GB, but you end up only being able to use 3.5GB. I don't have Vista myself, but if Microsoft does what it has with Windows 2000 and XP, I'd imagine it has the option to repair the OS. I'm pretty sure Vista 64 does work with most, if not all 32-bit apps. A Quad-core 3GHz chip should give some horsepower along with the 8GB of RAM. The only thing you might worry about is a video card upgrade if performance becomes unsatisfactory down the road. Gaming tends to lay a lot of its performance on the video card, so as long as your CPU isn't an ancient one, you'll be fine. I see very few people running 4GB of RAM, and beyond that, I've only seen it mentioned for servers.
