Why XP 64-bit?

[Mark]

My system uses an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ CPU running Windows XP
Professional SP2 currently and wondering what the current advantages are
to use Windows XP 64-bit version.

When I go this URL on Microsoft's web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/evaluation/top5.mspx

I see no reason to use the 64-bit OS.

When I look at Apple's upcoming Mac OS X Tiger, a 64-bit OS for an Apple
G5, there are several good reasons found on Apple's web site to upgrade
to the 64-bit OS.

When will Windows XP 64-bit be availabile?

 

[Guest]

xp 64bit should be out anytime.

64bit is the future of computing it will be a lot of faster and better
system perfomance and better mulitasking. At this stage is up to you if you
want to upgrade (if you can afford it). If not wait for new version of
windows next yr.

As for 64bit tiger anybody will make it look good. but with speed boost etc
you find it in xp as well.

But with apps you find it all the same but if you want the extra perfomance
then go for it. Its not urgent though within a few years it will come
standard.

 

[Don Burnette]

My system uses an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ CPU running Windows XP
Professional SP2 currently and wondering what the current advantages
are to use Windows XP 64-bit version.

When I go this URL on Microsoft's web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/evaluation/top5.mspx

I see no reason to use the 64-bit OS.

When I look at Apple's upcoming Mac OS X Tiger, a 64-bit OS for an
Apple G5, there are several good reasons found on Apple's web site to
upgrade to the 64-bit OS.

When will Windows XP 64-bit be availabile?

It has been released to mfg now, so it should start showing up on oem
systems in about a month.
It will be available as oem version only, so to purchase it you will need to
buy it through your normal channels to get oem software, or supplied with a
new oem system.

There will also be a customer trial available for download at some time in
the near future - no specific date, but XP 2003 Server 64 bit is already
available, so it shouldn't be too long I would think.

There are many drivers still not available, for instance I cannot get a
driver for my Canon I960 printer yet, and emails to their tech support are
responded to that they currently have no plans to develop 64 bit drivers.
Hopefully , that support person did not know what they were talking about. I
would think once XP Pro64 starts showing up in home systems, major periph
mfgs wills start developing 64 bit drivers. 32 bit drivers will not work..

As for advantages, until software makers start coding to take advantage of
64 bit, there probably are not a lot. I have been running the RC2 of XP
Pro64 in a dual boot with my 32 bit XP Pro, and it does seem a little more
robust.

 

[Al Dykes]

My system uses an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ CPU running Windows XP
Professional SP2 currently and wondering what the current advantages are
to use Windows XP 64-bit version.

When I go this URL on Microsoft's web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/evaluation/top5.mspx

I see no reason to use the 64-bit OS.

When I look at Apple's upcoming Mac OS X Tiger, a 64-bit OS for an Apple
G5, there are several good reasons found on Apple's web site to upgrade
to the 64-bit OS.

I wonder how much of what's neat in Tiger is possible because of 64
bits?

When will Windows XP 64-bit be availabile?

Right. IMO If you don't know why you need 64 bits then you don't.

64 bits is important for some people, for the long run. I'm told that
it will vastly improve voice recognition softrware and some games will
make use of it. On the server side it's important but most of us don't
run big servers.

A 32 bit copy of XP on an AMD64 system screems for heavy duty
applications like photoshop. 64bot machines are great but your email
and browser software are fine in 32 bit mode.

 

[Mark]

I know Microsoft is pushing the Windows XP 64-bit, but many sofware and
hardware vendors are not updating their drivers for 64-bit. Some
drivers still use 16-bit or 32-bit in XP.

Once XP 64-bit gets pre-installed on OEM computers, the software and
hardware vendors will then be creating 64-bit drivers.

A 64-bit OS will not allow me to type faster in Word; will not let
e-mail send or receive faster. 64-bit computing is specific and running
a 64-bit Word version will be no better than the current 32-bit Word
version.

 

[Mark]

Apple's Mac OS X has a better user interface allowing the user to
navigate and find files easier in the OS. I used Mac OS X 10.3.x for
some time before I just stayed with XP Pro. However, Mac OS X Tiger on
an Apple G5 with the available of some 64-bit programs makes it more
attractive than Microsoft's 64-bit version of XP that has no 64-bit
programs available. Probably very few software vendors are writing
software for XP 64-bit.

I currently using XP Pro (32-bit) on an AMD Athlon 64 3000+ CPU with 1GB
DDR 400 ram. This is why I am inquiring about XP 64-bit.

 

[Al Dykes]

Apple's Mac OS X has a better user interface allowing the user to
navigate and find files easier in the OS. I used Mac OS X 10.3.x for
some time before I just stayed with XP Pro. However, Mac OS X Tiger on
an Apple G5 with the available of some 64-bit programs makes it more
attractive than Microsoft's 64-bit version of XP that has no 64-bit
programs available. Probably very few software vendors are writing
software for XP 64-bit.

The fact that the programs are compiled for 64bit and not available
for a 32 bit OS strikes me a a marketing decision to get you to
upgrade. I doubt that anything in the UI needs 64 bits. Is there an
application in Tiger that makes use of an address space larger than 32
bits ? Is there a Tiger version of Photoshop2 ? That may be the first
one.

Not that the Tiger isn't a fine OS....

There are a bunch of 64 bit Windows apps available. They're all server
side and run on a chip that's a techical success but a marketing
failure; iTanium.