Win 7 and 64 bit upgrade question. | Forums

[JarheadEd]

I am currently running a core 2 duo E6600 on a ASUS P5NSLI Mobo. My OS is XP 32. I am considering upgrading to win 7 64. I am going to buy a new hard drive and make that my C: drive. My question is, does anyone know if the P5N SLI Mobo will support 64bit ops? I have looked on the manufacturers site on it and it does not say either way. In other words, I am ignorant of the ways of mobos and 32/64 bit requirements. I do not have a lot of cash to drop this year and am looking to see if this is a viable option.

[FoolTrottel]

That E6600 will run a 64bit OS just fine.
Mine does, using an Asus P5LD2-SE board.

If you want to be sure, you can download a trial version (180 days) of Windows 2008R2 64bit at Microsoft.

If that runs, then 7 will run as well. But, I do not think there's a real need to do so...

Good Luck!

[JarheadEd]

Thanks for the reply FT. So does my motherboard care if the cpu is running 64 or 32 bit?

[FoolTrottel]

So does my motherboard care if the cpu is running 64 or 32 bit?

Care?

I really doubt whether it 'knows' what it is running...
I don't think it matters...

I wouldn't know how it all goes about technically, but ... if a CPU fits a motherboard, and vice versa, all specifications will meet between them. They'll work fine together.

[arthursmedley]

Ed, I'm running an E6600 on a Gigabyte P35 'board and have just upgraded from XP to Win7 64bit with no problems.

[JarheadEd]

Thank you gents, that is what I was after.
I was concerned about the motherboard and 64 bit compatibility, my concerns are unfounded, thanks again.

[MAXMHZ1959]

Just check if Asus has a download for64 bit Windows 7 chipset drivers for your motherboard and sound.
You will need those anyway.
While there also check for a BIOS update. Not needed for x64, but there might be improvements.

If they have drivers, 99% chance it will run Win7 x64 OK.


I don't see any reason why not.

Make sure to switch on AHCI in BIOS or during RAID-driver install phase of OS installation before/during installing so the OS/drives can take advantage of NCQ and SATA hot-swapping.
There is a good explanation of NCQ on Wikipedia
I would highly recommend placing OS and programs on an SSD (Crucial C300 series or Mushkin). This will make your system "feel" much more responsive and faster and cut boot/load times dramatically.
The latest Mushkin SSDs have a Sandforce 1200 controller and perform as-good or better than the old 34nm technology OCZ Vertex 2 series. The newer OCZ Vertex2 using 24 nm technology have a shorter lifetime, lower speed and less "real" space. They lost quite a number of clients when they switched to 24 nm at the end of last year without indicating anything on the drives or informing consumers. The 24nm process is a lot cheaper. They just pocketed the money.
Bad bussiness. Meanwhile they have a return program where users can return the drive and get a 34nm instead, but who knows for how long, and it's a lot of hassle anyway.
Better to go for a Mushkin (cheaper too), or even a Crucial (faster and SATA3)