New HTPC. Windows 7 32 or 64 bit?

[Cryofax]

So I'm putting together a modest HTPC. It will be connected directly to a projector, but also feed 2 Ceton Echos elsewhere in the house. Odds are only 1 or maybe 2 TVs being used at a given time. It will also be used for Netflix/Hulu on it's local TV as well.

Considering the specs below, I am wondering if I should install Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit? The processor is 64-bit but with 4gigs of memory will going to 64-bit be an advantage or perhaps a disadvantage? Also any general tips are appreciated

CPU : Intel Core Duo 6420 (Dual Core 2.13ghz)
GPU : nVidia Geforce 210 PCIe 16x (512mb)
Memory : 4gb DDR2 800
Storage : 3tb 7200rpm Hard Drive, SATA3 (2 partitions, one for OS, one for Media, Media partition formatted with 64k blocks)
4x BluRay Drive
Ceton InfiniTV4 PCIe card w/ Comcast Cablecard
300watt PSU

Not going to be used for gaming just media watching.

[christoph86]

are you never planning on going above 4 gig memory?

[Cryofax]

are you never planning on going above 4 gig memory?

If I were I'd certainly go for the 64-bit version. But I'm on the fence. The Memory is actually the one thing I haven't purchased yet and I'm leaning toward 4gb but if 8gb would offer a significant boost for the extra cash I'd go for it. but it would be $100+ for 8gb RAM for an aging setup. So it would have to be a nice boost lol. When running maybe 2 TVs at once I'm not sure I'd notice any difference.

[lithium630]

I don't know a single reason to go with 32bit.

[richard1980]

There's only one reason to choose 32-bit: Old hardware that lacks 64-bit drivers. If you don't have any old hardware that lacks 64-bit drivers, there is absolutely no reason to prefer 32-bit over 64-bit.

[Cryofax]

Thanks for the input. 64-bit it is

[adam1991]

yeah, I can't believe that in 2014 we're still having this discussion.

[newfiend]

+1 for x64 agree with Adam and Richards comments.

[Cryofax]

yeah, I can't believe that in 2014 we're still having this discussion.

It's still 2013. If it were 2014 I never would have asked

Kidding... But to be fair, this isn't a simple question of which is better. That's obvious. It's a question of older hardware running with only 4gb of RAM and using WMC etc. There could have been some special circumstances specific to HTPCs. Better to ask and be sure. There are compatibility issues as well as issues of how memory is utilized in 32 vs 64.

[milli260876]

TBH for £100 you could get a haswell pentium and mAtx Mb that'd probably outperform that on less power. So £100 on ram would be silly...

[dmagerl]

You might experience problems with the gt210. gt220 is as low as I'd go. Keep an eye out. If you start experiencing stuttering/pixellation, that's where I'd look first.

BTW 64bit is the way to go.

[Cryofax]

TBH for £100 you could get a haswell pentium and mAtx Mb that'd probably outperform that on less power. So £100 on ram would be silly...

Yeah its just one of those deals where I happen to have almost all the components left over from this or that and was able to scrape together a modest system. But $50 for RAM is the most I can see putting "into" it. Which is why I'm not going to 8gb. At that point I'm $100+ in and like you said, I may as well invest that toward something better.

[Cryofax]

You might experience problems with the gt210. gt220 is as low as I'd go. Keep an eye out. If you start experiencing stuttering/pixellation, that's where I'd look first.

BTW 64bit is the way to go.

You sure about that? I've used this 210 with a slightly lesser system (Opteron 180, 3gb RAM) and it played BluRays Flawlessly.

[dmagerl]

If it works, then thats all that counts and I would ignore my comment. I had a gt220 and had occasional problems, mainly deinterleaving. The 210 has half the shaders and less overall bandwidth. Hence, why i said what I said.