the OEM seems to be $50 cheaper then the upgrade

 

I just upgraded my Vista 64-bit to 7 ultimate 64 bit this weekend

I have to say so far I like it. And if you go from vista -> 7 you don't have to do a clean install, a simple upgrade and keep your files is very much doable.

 

Glad to hear you took the leap. I look forward to doing the same!

 

You're right... anyone who is running Vista now just does a normal upgrade to install Windows 7, but for people like me who never went over to Vista because of all the bad stuff we heard about it and are still running XP, we have to do a clean install for Windows 7.

Hey blacksheep, is there really any advantage to using the 64 bit version of Windows over the 32 bit? The computer I've got now has an AMD 64 bit processor, but I'm still using the 32 bit version of XP. If you go over to 64 bit, can you still run the same programs you have installed on your PC?

 

Everything besides my large format HP Printer has been compatible with 64-bit so far.

Mainly 64-bit is going to allow you to work with more data more efficiently, and you won't have a cap on how much RAM your computer can actually have. For example I have a PC that has 8-gigs (4x2 gig stick) of RAM. If I were to run at 32-bits, only 4 gigs could be used (and even from that, the OS will steal a good 1-1.5, leaving you with only 2.5 to use)

 

Now that I've found you don't need to do a clean install we will probably upgrade to 7. We actually haven't had many problems with vista after the 2nd service pack came out, but I like what I'm seeing on the Windows 7 commercials so an upgrade would be nice. I'll probably order it soon.

 

 

I don't use my PC much. It's a shame, I built it but then got my MacBook for work and mostly use that because of the convenience, plus I'm not online much at home.

But so far it hasn't let me down once.

 

Don't upgrade just based on the commercials. Read over some reviews and stuff before you make the jump.