Upgrading from 32-bit to 64-bit

[Clara]

Hey guys, sorry for making another board on upgrading, I did have a look at existing ones and still felt a tad confused and like I needed some help towards my computers exact specs. The nitty-gritty technical side of computers really confuses me and I'm sure I'll mess up somewhere.

I've been running Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit on my HP desktop for about 2 years now (it came with it) and I'm now wanting to upgrade to 7 and get some more RAM in. I can upgrade my RAM to a max of 4gig and have a copy of Windows 7 Ultimate from my dad that I can go ahead and install. I would really like to upgrade beyond 4gig of RAM but understand this requires 64-bit? After digging around for a little I came across CPU-Z and used that to get more details on what my computer can handle:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2.../HPDesktop.jpg

According to the article I found out about CPU-Z on, 'the EM64T' part in 'Instructions' means my system can handle 64-bit? Does this mean I only need to upgrade my CPU? If so, how can I be sure to get a CPU that is compatible with the rest of my system? Is there any other measures I should take to be able to do such an upgrade?

Thanks!

[Just Playin]

You have a 64 bit processor already. As far as RAM, that will depend on the maximum RAM your motherboard will handle.

I can upgrade my RAM to a max of 4gig

If this is the maximum it will physically handle, a 64 bit OS will not change that. If you posted the model number of your PC, it would answer that question. definitively.

[Clara]

Ah I see, thanks for the response and for explaining that to me :D I must of misunderstood something somewhere along the lines.

My computer is an HP pavilion slimline s5102uk

[Just Playin]

You are limited to 4GB of RAM. With a 32 bit OS you can access only 3.5GB, so an upgrade to a 64 bit OS will net you half a GB more of usable RAM.

[Clara]

Alright, that's still better than nothing so that is good information to hear :D
So I will do fine with upgrading from Vista 32-bit to 7 64-bit? I know 7 doesn't demand as much RAM use as Vista too so I'd benefit again there by upgrading to both 7 and 64-bit? I'm not sure on the advantages of having 64-bit over 32.

[Just Playin]

There are advantages but none so overwhelming that you will notice a drastic improvement. I wouldn't have advised you to go out and buy 7 if Vista worked good so far but since you have it already, there is no reason you shouldn't upgrade if you wish.

[pwillener]

Originally Posted by Clara

So I will do fine with upgrading from Vista 32-bit to 7 64-bit?

You cannot directly upgrade 32-bit Windows to 64-bit Windows. You can use an upgrade disk, but you will need to do a fresh install of 64-bit Windows; see http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/w...sked-questions.

[Clara]

Yeah Vista has actually been working fine for me but I've been debating on upgrading to 7, I needed a bit more information first though since many things confused me.

Thanks guys! And thanks pwillener for the link, I will check that out