phnguyen89 on 27 January 2010
Here is the deal, all new CPU should be 64 bit compatible. The license for Windows 7 is good for both 32/64 bit for any edition. So if you have say Pro (get at least Pro), then you can switch out to 64/32 any time, the hassle is the re-installation.
I suggest you get 32 bit. The deal is that 64 bit is still a bit of an issue with compatibility. (Also, Windows 8 is supposed to be 128 bit).
My example of incompatibility: I am researching for my professor on CUDA for structure from motion. x64 Windows does not support CUDA with visual studio 2008. I tried all the hacks, but none of them worked. Once I downgraded to 32 bits, I just installed it and everything worked immediately.
