# Question about AMD processor



## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

My neighbor gave me a Dell Inspiron 531 computer he had found and it did not have a HD. I put in a HD and loaded Linux and it works perfectly. It has a Vista COA attached. It has an AMD™ Athlon™ 64 X2 dual-core processor 4000+. Is this a 64 bit processor? I want to get an OS for it and would like to try Windows 7. Since it has Linux, I am unable to run the Windows 7 comparability application. Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

Yes, its a 64 bit processor. I am using one now, although I am using 32 bit windows 7, since I use several things that didnt have drivers for the 64 bit version.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ Brisbane 2.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

Davenlr said:


> Yes, its a 64 bit processor. I am using one now, although I am using 32 bit windows 7, since I use several things that didnt have drivers for the 64 bit version.
> 
> AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ Brisbane 2.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor


So I can load Windows 7 32 bit even though it is a 64 bit processor? I have several printers and scanners on my network, so to play it safe I should install the 32 bit version to eliminate compatibility problems that may arise.


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## RasputinAXP (Jan 23, 2008)

64 bit processors can have 32 bit operating systems, yes.


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## Richard King (Mar 25, 2002)

I recently purchased a 64 bit AMD quad core Compaq and am running Win 7 64 bit and am rather surprised at how well it is doing. I haven't really had a problem running anything other than Quickbooks, which appears to have a problem with Windows 7. I solved the QB problem by dedicating an older computer to that program and my film transfer program (which requires a RAID drive that is not in my 64 bit machine). I went out this past Wed to do the first real true test, recording a band in a local club using 15 microphones and all went well considering.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

The problem with a 64 bit OS, and this is easier to get around on some systems than others, is you need 64 bit drivers. Dell on their page for that model only has 32 bit. Sometimes you can get drivers directly from the manufacturer, but there are pieces that Dell sometimes uses where the manufacturer doesn't publicly post different drivers, or the model number is Dell specific.


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## naijai (Aug 19, 2006)

WIndows 7 & Vista have generic drivers for most devices, so installed a 32 or 64 bit version shouldn't be an issue, so if dell cannot provide you a driver the os should have a compatible one


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

naijai said:


> WIndows 7 & Vista have generic drivers for most devices, so installed a 32 or 64 bit version shouldn't be an issue, so if dell cannot provide you a driver the os should have a compatible one


I've had such bad luck with the drivers that Windows Update wants to give me that I'm pretty wary of stuff Microsoft provides.


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

Richard King said:


> I recently purchased a 64 bit AMD quad core Compaq and am running Win 7 64 bit and am rather surprised at how well it is doing. I haven't really had a problem running anything other than Quickbooks, which appears to have a problem with Windows 7. I solved the QB problem by dedicating an older computer to that program and my film transfer program (which requires a RAID drive that is not in my 64 bit machine). I went out this past Wed to do the first real true test, recording a band in a local club using 15 microphones and all went well considering.


Did you try this to get QB to work properly?

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Make-older-programs-run-in-this-version-of-Windows


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

I would go ahead and load the 64 bit and try it out. You'll probably find drivers for most things available now. But don't load up any data or anything until you know for sure, and if you're missing drivers, you can always reformt and load Win7 32 bit.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

You'll certainly have no issues with 32 bit, and the Athlon IS a 64 bit processor, so it may run just fine. As the others have stated - your biggest issues are likely to be 64 bit device drivers, and that may not be a real issue.


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## bleggett29 (Feb 2, 2008)

scooper said:


> *You'll certainly have no issues with 32 bit,* and the Athlon IS a 64 bit processor, so it may run just fine. As the others have stated - your biggest issues are likely to be 64 bit device drivers, and that may not be a real issue.


Unless the OP has more than 4GB of RAM, which anything above 4GB can't be utilized in the 32-bit version of Win 7.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

bleggett29 said:


> Unless the OP has more than 4GB of RAM, which anything above 4GB can't be utilized in the 32-bit version of Win 7.


That model maxes out at 4 I believe. Actually, you sometimes end up with more like 3.5gb. But the default config was 2gb so memory limitations isn't as much of an issue.


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