32 or 64 bit operating system

[quantum]

i need a little help here guys, i am thinking of building a brand new comp, the only thing stopping me at the moment is working out how to get 64 bit instead of 32, i need to know this because 32 bit operating systems limit how much ram you can use ( 3GB or less i think).
so could someone be kind enough to help me out.

[Cerebral]

64 bit is fine. You'll lose compatibility with a few old (read: very old) programs, but if you're buying a new computer, chances are you're getting ~4GB of RAM, and may as well take advantage of the extra addressing.

[Silverwolf]

Buy 64bit, buying 32 bit these days is just stupid and holds shit back~

[quantum]

i know that some cpus have 64 bit threading, but how do you know if your operating system is 64 bit compatible, like windows xp?

[Italian Stallion]

It says on the box what version it is.

You'd be stupid to buy Windows XP for a new machine. Windows XP 64 was an abortion anyway. Windows 7 64 is what you're after.

[quantum]

ok then i will do that, thanks guys

[Lazlow]

You'll lose compatibility with a few old (read: very old) programs

How old are we talking? Will I still be able to play Leisure Suit Larry?

[TAT]

Probably not.

[Lazlow]

DOSBox apparently works with with both 32 and 64 bit Vista, so there's hope. Afterall it got 16bit software running on 32bit OS'es