Computers arghhhhh.. 32 or 64, HDR arghh...

Greetings to all,


Haven't posted in a week or so, as I have been upgrading the computer. Easy enough for some but not for me.


Affectionately known as computer geeks, this demographic laugh at their ownjokes, speak there own language and have an unfailing belief that we less gifted luditesunderstand where they are coming from.


I did evrything I could to make it simple and painless, but it didn't happen my friend. I just received CS5 and HDR Efex software and ordered a new computer system to replace the ancient heap of you know what thatI had been using for too long. I specified my needs to the sales person, Photoshop and blah blah blah. He said that the system I had chosen would not cut it, I would need quad core. "Quad core you say," I think, what could I have been thinking, of course I need quad core. I wonder if there is sext core, maybe I should get that. I didn't ask, but promptly agreed and laughed off my previous system as ancient and went with the experts suggestion.


I took the quote home and looked dreamily at the long list of specs, not having a clue what I was admiring, but admire I did. I went in the next day, saw a different sales rep and ordered the system. A little worried that I may not have enough "memory", I pursued a line of enquiry about ram. This stuff apparantly helps the computer to think about a few things at once and I was told thatperhaps I should upgrade to a name brand, rather than the generic stuff.


Moving along, I picked up the computer on Friday and spent the next five days, slowly andI mean slowly transferring data from the old clunker to the new beast. All the while telling my wife how good it is and yes I have been stuck in this room for days, but evrything needs updating and more blah blah blah.


Today I finally loaded HDR Efex and the damn thing stopped working. "Not enough memory to open all the files," it said. I was onlytrying to open one bloody(Australian expletive that you can say around your Mum and the kids)file. I had 4 gigs of Armani ram, surely that was enough. I jumped on the phone andtechnophile saidI could need more, but we will have to have your machine for 12 hours while we burn in the new ram, cause ram is fickle stuff and sometimes it doesn't work real well and it could just freeze and lock up.


I decided to take it in to the tech repair section and let them fix it.


Nice guy the tech expert, probably from another planet, but he initially told methat it might be ram or it could be my video card, no point throwing ram at it, if the video card cannot keep up with CS5. I had to take it home and run "task manager" and see where all the memory was going. Sounded complicated to me, I started doubting my abilities.


Than he saw it.


On the spec sheet for the machine. "How come you have 32 bit Windows and not 64 bit Windows?" he asked. What you talking about Willis, I thought. "What you talking about?" I asked. The technology God than tells me that 32bit Windows7 can onlyread a maximum of 3 gig of ram but actually only runs at about 2 gig. I could buy another 8 gig and it would still onlyoperate at 2 gig.The only thing to do was re-format the whole thing and install 64 bit Windows and start again.


Arghhh, 5 days of one finger typing and trying to keep a computer reading all the stuff I tried to force feed it.


It wasn't my fault, I had specified what I wanted it to do, but Sales didn't tick the 64 box. And they cost the same, it's not even an upgrade to have 64 bit.


It worked until the HDR crunching started.


This rant was for the benefit of those who one day might need to upgrade their computer and like me don't know about the stuff we aren't supposed to know about.


But mostly it was for me.


Arghh,


Steve

To paraphrase Jon Ruyle:


"Dude, just get a Mac!" [8-|]

Yep Neuro is right ....buy a Mac


Have the tech gurus reload your windows at 64 bit. Problem #1 solved. As for all the other problems your gonna have....again should have went Mac

I guess I should point this out to....once you go 64bit some of your programs may not run on 64bit.....choose wisely which way to go

What? What problems? Arghh.

Steve


If you have your disk that they sent with the computer you may be able reload it. When you do it gives you the option to do 32 or 64 bit.


I loaded windows 7 on one of the drives on my Mac. I had to load 32bit, because I wanted it to play one of my favorite online games and that game would only work in 32bit. If your mainly using it for Adobe then there shouldn't be a problem. You may need to take Adobe off and reload it though once you update to 64bit.


Other problems..well you are running windows and who could guess what problems. (you may need to reload drivers for your computer? maybe not?)





Good Luck

Steve,


If it is any consolation, I am running Windows 7-64bit, on a 5 year old dual core Dell machine with 4 Gig memory. CS4, Photomatix, HDR Efx Pro, Lightroom and even Premier Elements all run great. I did upgrade my video card but that was for video editing, This old machine works great.


Once you reload windows 7-64 bit, most software and drivers will not even load if they are not compatible, But that is rare unless you have very old software.---- I am not a gamer, so I can't speak about the games.


Don't let these "Apple-Eaters" discourage you, they paid twice the price for half the machine [:P].


Good luck and have a happy re-load.


Bob

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bob Williams

Don't let these "Apple-Eaters" discourage you, they paid twice the price for half the machine

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I ate my first apple early last year now I am hooked.


Since your machine is new, you should have a disk with all your drivers. It shouldn't be a big deal updating the drivers once you update to 64bit.


When I first loaded windows on my Mac (1/2 a machine can run both platforms....hmmm)...any way I loaded up 64bit and found that the games I wanted to play wouldn't run on 64bit. It was not hard to reload with 32bit...just stick the disk in and re did it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bob Williams

Don't let these "Apple-Eaters" discourage you, they paid twice the price for half the machine

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Even when I'm only using half my machine - running Windows on a single core as a virtual machine - my Mac runs Windows better than the reasonably well-spec'd Lenovo provided by work. But the biggest difference is that Apple's spinning beachball is prettier and more entertaining than Windows' blue screen of death. Plus...Macslook really, really nice. [H]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by neuroanatomist

Windows' blue screen of death.

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I've been building PCs for at least 7 yrs now. I have been using them for longer. I would have to say that I haven't seen a blue screen of death in my personal computer since Windows ME.


I may just be lucky. Steering away from the "PORNO" and all.


Macs are nice. I just like being able to build my own and know what and how to replace in it if it ever messes up. For the price of a top of the line MAC, I could really build multiple monster PCs, but some will say that the user experience is just not the same. I agree. It really is different, but is it WORTH it? That is left to considerable debate.


However, if your goal is photoshop, lightroom, etc. Those programs are virtually the same on either system. So saying one is better at photo editing than the other.... Meh, not really.








I do still have iphone envy though. [:$] Those things are awesome. AT&T < Awesome





Oh. and BTW they do have 6 core CPUs.... but not less than $900 just for the part. EEEEEK!!!