Many applications have 64-bit executables to deliver extra performance, but Windows 7 supports both 32-bit and 64-bit applications, so you shouldn’t see incompatibility problems. Pretty much every recent desktop CPU since the original Athlon 64 supports 64-bit, although some Atom and similar low-power CPUs don’t. Microsoft includes both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of each version in the full retail box, but we’d recommend skipping the 32-bit version if your CPU supports x86-64 extensions, as it enables you to address more memory and register space, which can result in better application performance. Crucially, no features are removed as you move up the price scale as they were on Vista, so every version of Windows 7 includes Media Center, for example. Windows 7 Home Premium establishes a baseline feature set, with the pricier versions adding more features. Microsoft has a great breakdown of what each of the three versions includes on its website and we've simplified this in the table below. Windows 7 takes a step back from Vista’s craziness, with just three main versions – Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate – with clearly defined feature sets. Worse still, some versions lacked features that were present in cheaper versions, making people think the whole version scheme was a sneaky ploy to make people buy the exorbitant Ultimate Edition. Microsoft had gone from the simple three-tiered approach adapted for Windows XP - Home, MCE and Professional - to no fewer than five versions of Vista, and a confusing choice of four in the shops.

Vista’s problems started long before you even got around to installing the OS though - the mess of versions really didn't help consumers make the choice that best suited their needs ( or maybe it did, by keeping them away from Vista? - Ed.). For want of a better way of describing it, Microsoft has essentially fixed Vista and the result is arguably Microsoft’s best operating system to date. Microsoft recognised this, and it looks as if it has listened to consumers’ major bugbears with Vista. Not surprisingly, most PC users stuck with their old friend Windows XP. Combine that with the horrible driver support from many manufacturers (and especially Nvidia from a gamer's point of view) and you have a recipe for disaster.

This was in stark contrast to Vista’s long road to release, which saw delays, feature culling and a final product that wasn’t everything it should have been.

The development schedule has been incredibly smooth, running almost perfectly and hitting key milestones with accuracy normally only associated with Swiss watchmakers. Microsoft Windows 7 Review Manufacturer: MicrosoftĮver since Microsoft released the first and only Windows 7 beta, there’s been a lot of hype around the new operating system - we had an early look at Windows 7 shortly after the beta came out back in January and came away impressed.

Microsoft windows 7 ultimate 64 bit