Apart from being able to increase RAM to over 4gb, what other benefits do I gain from changing from 32bit to 64bit Win7?

Twice as many bits.

This is not only a software issue. ideally your hardware should supply native support for a 64bit os as well. most newer computers and processors full-fill this requirement Take a look here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit_computing.

are you doing a large amount of processing or rendering? gaming? video editing?

Remember you need double the disk space for 64 bit too. I got caught wiht that with one machine.

Best to move to windows 8 though as it really hass an improved windows 7 under or beside the metro stuff.

Memory is the main issue for me.

I am often over the 4Gb limit of 32bit OS

If I decided to install Win7 65bit, can I preserve my existing Prorgam Files and programs installed on C: Drive? My data files are secure elsewhere.

The primary positive outcome will be if you do video editing or run a large server.

The primary negative effects are demand on more hardware, incompatibility with old programs.

Since i do neither of above, i'll stick to old and true,

and as a side effect, i also dont have to learn a new OS.

larger files, more memory is used. More bits needs to be pushed around.

So you know you have the expensive hardware full used :-)

I use Win7 74 bit and have no blue screens. On the 32 bit a problem in the VM (WinXP) could bring down the complete Win7. On the 64 bit that problem doesn't exist anymore. Don't know why.

you need to re-install the Win7 64-bit OS. suggest to re-install the applications from scratch since the 64-bit OS will config 32-bit and 64-bit applications differently.

back to your first question, matching 64-bit OS and 64-bit applications allow you a much bigger working data capacity, or file sizes. as simple as in Excel, most graphic applications, video editing, CAD . . . yes, different level of resources !

the simple question is - IF you need a 64-bit OS or applications ?

The bottom line is NONE.

You machine will see more RAM but only if you're doing something special will you need it :-)

If you use programs like adobe's PS or sony vegas , then it is nice to use 64 bit. On top of that use decent graphic cards, then rendering, converting, filtering and cutting makes fun. It really sukcz when you render or cut full hdmi and your computer needs 24 h to process 90 min footage.

I recently converted from 32 to 64 Win 7 Ultimate so the computer could "see" all 8 gigs of RAM.

1. You can't upgrade. You have to format and do a fresh install so back up everything.

2. There was no 64 bit driver available for my printer and I had to buy a new one. Same with my video card.

3. I spent hours reinstalling my other software such as Outlook, Photoshop, Irfanview and on and on including reinstalling by backups.

4. I had to make a new image of my hdd, which Windows backup does every night anyway, but I wanted it "now." I had to reset preference for that too.

5. I then ran Cobian backup to get a clean, readable backup of my important files, after I reinstalled Cobian and set my preferences.

Bottom line, it took all day, cost me a printer and a video card and I gained 4 gig of RAM.

Up to you.

Twice as many bits.

There are two questions you have to answer to see if it's worth while. First, is your PC compatible with Windows 7 (and that includes your peripherals and your programs)? Second, does it have a 64-bit processor? Just having a 64 bit processor and access to more than 4 gigs of ram is not enough to decide it it's worthwile to go to 64 bit.

To answer the first question, install and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. Not only will this free Microsoft program tell you if you can install Windows 7, but what you need to change if you can't, and what may cause problems after you do.

It can also answer the second question. After it finishes running and presents its report, look to the top of the window. If you see separate "32-bit report" and "64-bit report" tabs, then you're running an x64 processor and can upgrade to the 64-bit version of Windows 7. Be sure to click that 64-bit tab and read what it tells you about the transition.

Not all programs and drivers are compatible with Windows 7 64 bit! All drivers, and applications have to be reinstalled, so you'll need the installation package for all software and drivers. Only with portable applications, could you just backup and copy the installed application folder. I have a machine with 64 bit dual core processor with 16GB of memory. For me it's not worth the effort. As so many applications and devices I use and need just aren't compatible to work on 64 bit Windows 7. Support of them has been dropped many years ago!

I've installed a dual boot system so that only applications that will benifit run on the 64 bit system. The majority of stuff is only installed in the 32 bit system. Very seldom do I need access to more than 3 GB of RAM. I monitor CPU, GPU, and memory usage all the time!

I use a computer for photo editing, pretty much exclusively. I3, 6gb ram, An older Dell Insperon. My editing was getting just too slow. I went with the 7 win. operating system and it added a year onto my update plans. I am amazed at the performance benefits for photo editing. I am still on a upgrade path with I5 or I7 but will be sure I use a 64 bit operating system.