Is 32-bit Windows 7 faster?

Monday, February 15, 2010

Question:
I've been told that Window 7 32-bit is faster than Windows Vista 32-bit, because it can see and use all 4GB of RAM that you can have with a 32-bit operating system. I've looked on a Windows 7 box and it does show all 4GB RAM. Is this why it's faster?

Answer:
Windows 7 32-bit can't use all 4GB on a system any more than Windows Vista 32-bit or Windows XP 32-bit. To be able to use 4GB RAM or more, you'll need a 64-bit version of Windows on full 64-bit hardware. Both Windows Vista and Windows 7 are able to see 4 GB RAM, and may report 4GB of RAM as being present, but they can't use all. Windows 7 is faster for a variaty of reasons, but that isn't one of them.