VM Performance Question

[ptc-1393301]

We’re in the process of acquiring new workstations for running in-house training for Pro/E and Windchill. As with Windchill, all training will be based on a VMware/MS Virtual PC image running on a host OS. My question is, if you have any experience or input as to whether 32 bit or 64 bit workstations would be a preferred platform for such use. 64 bit will primarily boost the memory limitation of 32 bit systems from 4 GB to 128 GB. Memory limitation is not really a problem for us, as 4 GB RAM is usually enough to run the required VMs satisfyingly. Do you see any other clear benefits of choosing a 64 bit architecture over 32 bit? Thanks. Lars Christian

[TomazJeras]

Hi, I see no reason why you won't go for 64bits. Fist, it's definitely future. There is no drawbacks, all CPU's are already 64bits, OS cost is the same and RAM is cheap these days. We have all VMware machines on 64bits with 8GB of RAM and on such machine, you can run both 32bit and 64bit systems and you can also run two or more VM machines simultaneously. And finally, on 32bit OS like WinXP or Vista you can't use all 4 GB of RAM even if you have it installed. My 2 cents.

[RussDavidson]

In my opinion, the only reason to choose a 32 bit system these days is to run an old application (like 16 bit or worse) that cannot be ran on a 64 bit system. New applications are usually requiring more and more RAM, so it's a good idea to future-proof yourself like Tomaz said.