If I were purchasing a new computer and had a choice of operating systems, would using the 32 bit version of Windows be a better choice for DNS Pro 11.5 (and/or a better choice in general) over the 64 bit version or would it really make that much difference one way or another?

Thanks!

 

 

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DNS 12.0 Pro (KnowBrainer + VoiceComputer  - latest versions) Buddy 7G (2nd gen) USB + Sennheiser MD 431 II - Toshiba Satellite Core™ i7 2670QM laptop 4 cores/8 threads 6 MB L3 cache 6 GB DDR3 RAM (1333 MHz) + MacBook Pro with Retina display (i7 2.7 Ghz); 16 GB RAM; 8 MB of L3 chache; 751 GB Solid State Drive (using Parallels 8 with Boot Camp).

 

Alan,

 

There is no easy answer to your question. The basic advantage of Windows 64-bit is the ability to address more than 4 GB of RAM as well as to use applications that are "64-bit", such as Microsoft office 2010 and some of the more current Adobe Systems applications. Applications will load faster and, in some cases but not necessarily all cases, run faster. The most significant advantage of Windows 764 bit is that applications will load faster and you will be able to use more than 4 GB of RAM. This can benefit DNS, particularly DNS 11.5 because that version and the previous DNS 10.1 take full advantage of the capabilities of Windows 7 64-bit.

 

However, aside from addressable RAM and load speed, Windows 7 32-bit will generally not functioned any differently than the 64-bit version. The only real difference is addressable RAM and slower application load times with the 32-bit version.

 

From this point forward I will always opt for the 64-bit versions of Windows for all of the above reasons. There is no valid reason not to go with Windows 7 and/or Windows 8 64-bit when Windows 8 is released. The advantages outweigh any other factors.

 

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC
Home of VoicePower®: We don't make Dragon NaturallySpeaking, We make it better!

"Aiming for the moon and missing it is better than aiming for the ditch and hitting it."   - Author Unknown

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Just reaffirming Chuck's advice… DON'T even think about purchasing a 32-bit version of Windows. The 4 Gb RAM limitation will literally choke you when attempting to run next-generation applications and is even a bit tight by today's standards. We currently recommend a minimum of 8 Gb of RAM but for anyone buying a new computer, we recommend 16 to be ready for the future apps. It is time to forget about Windows XP and 32-bit operating systems.

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Click KB 2012 REV D to Download a 30 Day Evaluation of KnowBrainer 2012 

 

 

 

You should always install 64-bit Windows on 64-bit capable hardware.

 

I've been running Windows 7 64-bit for two years and have not found any application software that objects to the 64-bit environment. However, some applications require you to upgrade to a relatively recent version to avoid problems - for example, you need at least Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Service Pack 1 to work on a 64-bit operating system.

 

Though the majority of application software is still 32-bit, there is no problem using most 32-bit software on 64-bit Windows. Increasingly, 64-bit versions of applications are emerging, which can make full use of the extra memory on a 64-bit OS. Some high-end applications are now 64-bit only, such as Adobe's professional video editing software Premiere Pro.

 

I do quite a bit of photographic work, so the ability to use all the available memory in a 64-bit application and the modest gain in processing power of a native 64-bit application is a no-brainer.

 

On my machine, I have:

• Adobe Creative Suite 6 Master Collection
  • After Effects CS6 - 64-bit only
    
  • Premiere Pro CS6 - 64-bit only
  • Photoshop Extended CS6 - both 32 and 64-bit versions installed
  • Illustrator CS6 - both 32 and 64-bit versions installed
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 - 64-bit only (the installer selects between 32 and 64-bit versions depending on the OS)
• 64-bit Photoshop plug-ins
  • Noise Ninja
  • PTLens
  • Fluid Mask 3 (actually a 64-bit wrapper for a 32-bit program)
• Vandyke SecureCRT and Secure FX - 64-bit versions installed (not that these applications really benefit from running in 64-bit mode, but as there's 64-bit versions it's silly not to use them)
  

 

At the moment, because I use Office plug-ins that have yet to be updated for 64-bit Office, I still run Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010, Microsoft Visio Premium 2010 and Microsoft Project Professional 2010 in 32-bit mode. Most users will gain very little from running Office in 64-bit mode, so I'm in no rush to move to 64-bit Office. That said, I am getting frustrated at the plug-in authors who steadfastly refuse to issue 64-bit versions of their plug-ins.

 

Once I can switch to 64-bit Office, almost all the application software I use regularly will be 64-bit. I expect there to be a 64-bit version of Firefox in the not too distant future - though part of the issue with a browser is that 64-bit plug-ins will be needed.

 

I expect 64-bit Windows to be the norm from Windows 8 onwards, and 64-bit applications to become increasingly common. I wouldn't be surprised if Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12 has a 64-bit version, not just 64-bit OS support for a 32-bit application.

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David Wood

Hardware: Olympus DS-7000 (for dictation) - Olympus AS-7000 (for manual transcription) - Olympus DM-670 with ME-30W microphones (for seminars and events)

Software: DNS 12.5 Legal UK - Olympus ODMS 6.1.1 (Dictation and Transcription Modules) - Olympus Sonority Plus 1.4.2

David:

Go to mozilla.com and download Waterfox. It is the 64-bit variant of Firefox. Uses the same bookmark file, too. It is currently ver.13 but ver.14 launches this Friday.

I, too, have tried to keep my machines all-64 bit whenever possible

Wizwill

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