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Which version to install - LabVIEW 32-bit or 64-bit

Hello,

Should I install LabVIEW Professional 32-bit or 64-bit on my development computer? Based on what I read/understood, I should install the 32-bit version, but want to make sure I am doing the right thing.

Development computer: Intel Core i5-4300U, x64-based processor, 8 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
Target computer for application: Intel Atom Z3775, x64-based processor, 2 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 32-bit

Initially, I will be using LabVIEW Professional to develop the application. I will use the Application Builder to create an installer for the target computer. In near future I WILL add features from the Report Generation Toolkit. In a distant future, I MAY add features from Database Connectivity Toolkit.

 

I found these helpful:

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/websearch/71E9408E6DEAD76C8625760B006B6F98?

http://www.ni.com/white-paper/14281/en/

Regards,
Gurdas

Gurdas Sandhu, Ph.D.
ORISE Research Fellow at US EPA
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The page you linked shows you the Report Generation Toolkit is only compatible with 32-bit LabVIEW.  That should answer the question for you.

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Thanks. I had noticed that, but another page, for Windows 7, shows RGT is available in 64-bit.

http://www.ni.com/white-paper/10383/en/

 

So, it may be that it will become available in 64-bit for Windows 8, too, at some point. Other reasons for going with 32-bit?

Gurdas Sandhu, Ph.D.
ORISE Research Fellow at US EPA
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To clear things up, you should be able to install Report Generation Toolkit for 64-bit LabVIEW.

 

http://www.ni.com/download/labview-report-generation-toolkit-for-microsoft-office-2014/5006/en/

 

That said, I usually recommend using 32-bit LabVIEW unless you are developing an appliction where the user is running a 64-bit OS.  It just makes everything easier if you end up wanting to use another toolkit down the road.

Matt J | National Instruments | CLA
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Well hell Matt, it looks like you should get that updated then.  Although, the Database Connectivity shows as unsupported for both.

 

Unless you're working with visual applications, there's rarely a reason to move to 64-bit.  32-bit is more fully supported and you're not really gaining any performance by moving to 64-bit.

 

The real question isn't "why would I install 32-bit?"  You should be asking why you'd want to move to 64-bit.  As you haven't posed anything that begins to explain why you'd want to do so, it's a pretty easy answer.

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I want to post my views here concerning this matter as I use both "Bit"ness versions frequently. These views come from my personal experiences and do not repeat or contradict any of the the reasons or advantages mentioned by any of the above posts.

  • 32-bit LabVIEW is the only way of using 32-bit-compiled DLLs. These are sometimes still used in APIs for third-party hardware. You simply can't use those DLLs in 64-bit LabVIEW. The same thing in reverse is true for 64-bit-compiled DLLs.
  • 32-bit LabVIEW is more widely supported for localization, meaning you can get installers for several languages. The number of different localizations of LabVIEW 64-bit is limited. I personally can only find the native English installer.
  • 64-bit LabVIEW is almost compulsory when starting to develop medium- to large-sized vision applications or handling large data sets. Even on a 64-bit OS 32-bit LabVIEW (and all other 32-bit compiled software) suffers from the limit of 4 GB addressable RAM. I might not have the most efficient way to program vision applications but usually you'll end up with quite a bit more data in memory than you might have thought. So if you are unsure whether you might run into a memory problem sooner or later while your software evolves, you might want to consider 64-bit LabVIEW.

You can always communicate between 32-bit and 64-bit LabVIEW using VI Server, so one can actually implement every bit of code in the bitness version that best suits the respective functionality.

 

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