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[Cereal Killer]

Hi, other than the extra RAM available, is there any reason to change OS from 32 to 64-bit given that MC is a 32-bit program.
I'm toying with the idea of moving to Windows 8 when MC 18 becomes an official release
We've already touched on the subject that MC doesn't use much RAM even with Memory Playback.

In task manager my CPU usage when playing is at 13% and RAM usage is 950MB out of 4GB installed.

Music server is a dedicated one and does nothing but play FLAC files headlessly on a Shuttle XS36V.

Ta.

[audunth]

Short answer: no.

I've been running a 32 bit system with 1 gb of RAM for years, and only recently upgraded to 64 bit because I got a new motherboard and 8 gb of RAM, mostly for gaming purposes. There is absolutely NO difference whatsoever in MC's performance. I use it for video and audio. Maybe more RAM would make a difference if the library is insanely big, I don't know. But we'd have to be talking millions, if not billions, of tracks.

If you don't have other reasons to go with 64 bit, stay with 32 bit for compatibility reasons.

[Cereal Killer]

Cool, cheers. think i may just stick with 'as is' then and not even bother with W8 on the server. It's used headlessly via Gizmo and a Motorola XOOM, so the interface isn't needed at all (graphics set to 'shut' in power setting after 1min). I use RealVNC when i want to access the desktop, other than that it does absolutely nothing but serve FLAC files to the DAC/pre in a two channel system. I have about 900-950 FLAC albums, which equates to around 10,000 - 11,000 tracks. the Shuttle has a Crucial M4 512GB SSD.

[InflatableMouse]

I disagree somewhat with the above. Not saying you're wrong, obviously you have your own expererience but that may not be typical for all (and especially newer) 64-bit systems. If your system is still that in your signature, it is somewhat aging. Not that its bad but those motherboards and chipsets had early implementations of 64-bit support and the difference with newer systems should not be neglected.

Purely MC, probably not so much. But MC is never alone on a system.

64-bit offers many advantages that MC can indirectly benefit from. On a 32-bit OS, maximum memory is effectively limited to ~3.5GB with user space (the effective memory a program can use) is 1,5GB (total userspace is 2GB but there's overhead and other stuff snooping away from that). Although MC may not use that much, other programs share that same pool. On a 64-bit system user space is not shared meaning each program can use the full 2GB of user space. If a program is specfically written for it, it can even use the full 4GB you can address with 32-bits.

Also a 64-bit system can be faster, whether that is noticable or not measurements and benchmarks have repeatedly shown that it can be considerably faster at certain tasks. 64-bit applications do have a little bit more overhead resulting in a larger memory footprint and yes, some rare cases 64-bit processes can be slower than their 32-bit counterparts. This was typically the case when 64-bit was new and drivers not yet fully optimized. Today, at least on newer hardware with new drivers, things like disk access, memory operations and certain CPU operations are (sometimes much) faster on 64-bit systems. MC can benefit from most of these subsystems.

Typically, multitasking works better too on a 64-bit system too. MC is heavily threaded and should benefit from this too.

Compatibilitywise I don't think 32-bit OS has an advantage over 64-bit anymore (used to be the case, yes), unless you're running very old hardware or outdated drivers/software that have known compatibity issues. 32-bit mode in 64-bit OS is very mature nowadays and I believe its very unlikely that problems arise.

I'd say if you have to ask, choose 64-bit. Not doing so is simply postponing the inevitable.

[Cereal Killer]

So if the only program running is MC barr the OS, Real VNC, AVG antivirus 2013, chipset drivers and integrated graphics. Will a more powerful machine with say an i3 8GB RAM and a 64-bit OS, be better than the ATOM D2700, 4GB RAM and a 32-bit OS to run just a simple dedicated MC player. Even if my CPU usage is 13% and RAM usage at only 950MB?

[InflatableMouse]

I can't really answer your question.

Yes, an i3 with 8GB and 64-bit OS will be miles better than an any Atom-based machine, at least in raw specifications. Whether you notice it with what you do, how you work, I don't know. Whether the expense to replace the Atom with an i3 is worth it, I don't know. Will your headless server perform noticably better in your circumstance? I don't know, maybe not. If we'd benchmark it and compare, you bet that i3 will burn that Atom to the ground but what's that worth to you if you don't notice it?

CPU and memory usage is not the only thing limiting a PC's performance. Many tasks like handling network traffic is offloaded to the network chip and same goes for disk controllers. Bandwidth between components, their processing speed, memory access and components sharing buses all affect performance, maybe more so than raw CPU power does. It is impossible for me to claim something will be better for you than what you already have.

If you don't have a specific need that your current system can't cater, you're are not running into limitations and everything works as you'd like and expect, leave it be. It's often not worth the hassle and chances are you'd be dissapointed and I'd feel bad for the advise I gave you .

[audunth]

Sorry, the system in my signature was my old setup. I now have a Core i5 2500K on an Asus Z68 motherboard (don't remember the exact name of it). The old setup I was running for over 5 years with 1 GB ram with no issues whatsoever. Of course I see better performance in games with my new setup, but for MC 17 (MC 18 came just after I'd upgraded) the performance is identical now.

There are probably many reasons to go 64 bit generally, but if just setting up a machine for MC it doesn't matter. I believe that was the original question.

Let me add that it's always a good idea to check compatibility for all hardware/software that will be used before making a decision. Older stuff might not support a 64 bit system.

[Cereal Killer]

............ but if just setting up a machine for MC it doesn't matter. I believe that was the original question.

That is indeed the question! It's a single purpose machine that runs MC17 only. Nothing more. It simply takes commands to play music via the Gizmo app. It's connected to a wireless network and DAC/Pre via USB.

[jmone]

Keep in mind that Win7 has a 4GB address limit for memory over ALL devices, eg RAM + GPU Mem etc.  As most "modern" PC now have more than 4GB of addressable memory over all intalled devices, I'd suggest that you install 64-Bit.

[audunth]

If I already had Win 7 32 bit available and would have to buy an extra licence for 64 bit, it's not worth the cost for just running a MC server. If you have access to both go with either one, just make sure your DACs driver will support 64 bit if you go with that.

[Cereal Killer]

Yerp, already have W7 32-bit. The Shuttle XS36V doesn't support 64-bit due to the way the integrated graphics works so It'd have to be wholesale change. The spec i have ATM is:

Atom D2700, NM10 Chipset. It's fanless and 100% solid state.
Win 7 32-bit
Crucial M4 512GB SSD
Samsung 1333hz 4GB RAM
AVG antivirus 2013
RealVNC
JRMC17

Question is really, If i were to move to W8 64-bit, i3/i5/i7 and 8GB RAM, will there be an improvement in sound quality?

[InflatableMouse]

Question is really, If i were to move to W8 64-bit, i3/i5/i7 and 8GB RAM, will there be an improvement in sound quality?

No.