BleepingComputer.com: Operating System

I recently built a new computer from my old one virtually replacing all but the hard drive and operating system. I am now running Windows XP Home SP2 on an AMD Athlon Dual core 64 Processor. With dual core Ram @ 2G. I purchased Windows XP Pro 64 bit edition and have not installed it. I have read a lot since buying the operating system that there are problems such as hardware compatibility. What are your recommendations or other comments on Windows XP Pro 64 Bit and whether you'd recommend I upgrade to the 64 Bit version.

Hope I have picked the right forum.
Jim

You'll have to see if there are 64 bit drivers for all the hardware that you plan on using in the system. This will include the motherboard/chipset drivers in particular. But you'll also need audio, video, network, modem, etc - not to mention drivers for any thing like a printer, scanner, camera, etc that you plug into the USB ports.

From what I've seen, support for hardware in 64 bit OS's is spotty at best. Vista seems to have a bit more support, but I still don't have a 64 bit driver for my TV card (so I can't use it).

The most common reason for upgrading to a 64 bit OS is more available memory - and thecutoff for 32 bit OS's is at 4 gB. So I would think that you'd be happy enough with 32 bit XP and wouldn't need to upgrade to 64 bit. FWIW - upgrading a system with 4 gB of RAM from a 32 bit to a 64 bit OS doesn't show any performance increase (IMO) - so it'll take 8 gB of RAM to see a significant difference.,

Thanks. That jibes with what I have found other places on the WEB. My system can handle a total of 16 G of Ram. However I currently have about 1 1/2 G of free ram so don't really think more RAM is needed at this point. Guess I should sell the XP Pro 64Bit Operating system I bought.

It seems more and more main stream companies are releasing 64 bit drivers after they get their 32 bit ones fixed, especially on newer hardware. I have as yet to see a benchmark that shows where 64 bit is better even with 4 gigs of ram.

The multitasking would have to be horrendous, how many people game, do a video conversion and use photoshop at the same time?

I just read an article in a proprietary magazine where it's suggested that Windows Server 2008 will be the last 32 bit server OS that Microsoft releases. Other articles that I've read in the past indicate that the next Windows (Windows 7) will be the last 32 bit desktop OS that Microsoft releases.

The days of 64 bit computing are upon us - look for increased availability of drivers (and a whole new bunch of hardware to make use of it!).

usasma, on Feb 23 2008, 09:54 AM, said:

Wouldn't be surprised if Intel or AMD announced 128-bit chips in the works within a year!