[danfuerth]

Good info, but here is the problem that you still don't get

Why didn't software companies including Cockos themselves add 36 bit extensions to Reaper? Since this ram limitation has never been about the OS.
If you must know Intel has had PAE extensions in their processors since 1995, when the Pentium Pro came out. back then you could address 64 gigs of ram with the Pentium Pro.

So there is no issue with a 32 bit OS to see more than 4 gigs of ram, those limits are imposed by kernel licences, just like Microsoft does between their desktop OS and their Server OS.

The OP must know that as if he thinks going to 64 it is going to solve any problems he is dead Wrong and no it's not native, it's an interpreter that is why 32 bit apps in windows 7 are much slower than in XP, anyone who denies this is fooling themselves, and be a fan of the corp's.

I run Windows 7 64 bit and all my apps on there are 64 bit NO 32 apps in there. All my audio apps, VST, VSTi are 64 bit on there.

I also run XP dual booted of course and without a doubt I notice the difference in speed of 32 bit apps vs running them on windows 7

The OP is going to be spending money, I hate people spending money for no good reason, first of all without reading up on the facts vs what companies want you to do, believe in their bullshit.

Again to tickle your bone, AMD just released an OPTERON X86 ( notice X86) with 32 cores. I think even AMD is showing us 64 bit was a mistake and was all a hype. We did not need to go 64 bit at all, what was needed was for software companies to embrace PAE and code around it.

I've only seen 32 bit apps with 36 PAE extensions on mostly servers, this explains why the MOBO companies did not want boards for regular users with PAE hardware support as then software companies liek Microsoft and Apple could not licence their Kernels for ram limits.

And here is why for a long time before 64 bit started to get pushed due to falling sales of computers worldwide. If you have a desktop that has no ram limits ( MOBO) and the OS kernel not ram limited, you can turn any desktop into a server that my friend is the problem with Microsoft and for some time Apple as well, don't forget Xserve.

Again all these limits are self imposed. Thanks to James Cameron as he was the one that approached Intel to make a 64 bit alpha chips for the rendering farm for the Titanic movie. Intel added 36 bit extensions as they could not produce the 64 bit chips at the time. So at least with 36 bit extensions the processor and the OS ( linux is what they used) could work with 64 gigs of ram. At that time yes 64 gigs was staggering. But money buys you everything.