PC upgrade - 32 or 64 bit processor

Having read a copious amount of stuff in my research about a PC upgrade, I'm getting indecisive!
I use SHS6 and, although I have SHS7, I prefer SHS6. That should be OK under Windows 7 or 8 32 bit right? But I'm stuck with 4 Gb of RAM right?
If I want to use more VSTs, I need more RAM - possibly more than 4Gb, which means going for a 64 bit processor. Then I run into needing at least SHS7 and possibly driver problems for my Midiman 8x8 and Firewire 410.
Is there a way round this and access more RAM and still use SHS6???
 
 

Tremor
Having read a copious amount of stuff in my research about a PC upgrade, I'm getting indecisive!
I use SHS6 and, although I have SHS7, I prefer SHS6. That should be OK under Windows 7 or 8 32 bit right? But I'm stuck with 4 Gb of RAM right?
If I want to use more VSTs, I need more RAM - possibly more than 4Gb, which means going for a 64 bit processor. Then I run into needing at least SHS7 and possibly driver problems for my Midiman 8x8 and Firewire 410.
Is there a way round this and access more RAM and still use SHS6???
 
 

Don't know about the SHS6/7 question, but a 64 bit PC will run a 32bit OS so you can always do this if you don't want to/can't go 64bit with everything just yet. This will at least give you the facility to go 64 bit in future without another pc.  As you say, 32bit means you are stuck with 4gb RAM limit. First thing you need to do is check driver availability for your hardware, win 7 32/64 probably ok for most things, but not everything has win 8 drivers available yet from what I have seen. Don't know what 3-rd party plugs you have, but some of these may or may not work in 64bit, so you will have to decide how important they are to you. You could always go for a dual boot system and get the best of both worlds and it will give you a bit of a comfort zone while you see what works or not in 64bit. Also, win 8 is about to have and 8.1 "upgrade", so might be worth waiting for that if you go win 8 route.
 
 

Hi Tremor,
 
Just went through the same thing you did.   After extensive research, and a fair amount of donero's, I went with a 64 bit Intel i7 processor.    Like you I still run a lot of the 32 bit programs and effects.   I went with the 64bit because it is just as snappy when running 32 bit.   Yes, you are still limited in the amount of RAM that can be controlled, and accessed, but when you do upgrade to a 64bit version you will have all the capability you need (assuming you have the cash, make sure you purchase enough RAM to suit your future needs).
 
I will send you the parts list of the computer I had custom built for my studio.   Cost me $2400 including all parts and labour (I'm in Canada so if your in the US you will get it way cheaper).    I just received it two days ago, and what an incredible difference.   Lag time was reduced by about 15ms, and effects that used to cause dropouts, don't even cause a chirp when adjusting on the fly.  I am using 3 Delta 1010's and after some initial setup problems, they run like a top.   My max processor load has been hovering around 20-23% and that's with the 3 PCI cards, a graphics card, and a blueray burner (USB 2.0), and running a USB connected Mix Audio M24 controller (USB 2.0), while recording 8 simultaneous tracks.   Totally blew me away.
 
Intel Core i7-3770K Processor - Quad Core, 8MB L3 Cache, 3.50GHz (3.90GHz Max Turbo) (Mine is O/C'd to 3.75Hz)
ASUS P8Z77-V LX Intel 7 Series Motherboard
Patriot Viper 3 Intel Extreme Masters PVI332G160C9QK 32GB Limited Edition Memory Kit
Galaxy GeForce GTX 660 Ti GC
Thermaltake VN300M1W2N Chaser MK-I Full Tower Gaming Case
LG BP40NS20 6X Slim External Blu Ray Burner
EVGA SuperNOVA NEX1500 1500W Power Supply - 80+ Gold
Corsair Force Series GS CSSD-F180GBGS-BK 180GB Internal Solid State Drive
Corsair Hydro Series CW-9060008-WW H80i Extreme Liquid/Water CPU Cooler
 
Now this is probably overkill for most home studio's, but I can't stress enough that having massive computer power can never hurt.  I firmly believe that next to your input section (mics and converters), your tower is your next most item in your studio, and it is something that you should put as much cash as you can afford into.
 
Hope this helps, and if you have any questions, I'll will be glad to answer them.
 
TheBadger

Tremor, if you're comfortable building your own pc, you can do it for a lot cheaper than £1200