There were already some threads on this, but they were all pretty old.

Is there any reason to switch to this from standard XP running on a 64 bit Athlon? Will there be a notable increase in the performance? Will there be any change in my ability to run programs? Are there still a mountain of driver issues?

1/21/2006 8:33:45 PM

the old threads covered this information - nothing has changed since the last relevant one

1/21/2006 9:04:34 PM

OmarBadu asshole extraordinaire

1/21/2006 9:52:44 PM

That's a fine answer as long as it's accurate. The last thread was nine months ago, and a lot can happen in nine months.

[Edited on January 21, 2006 at 10:20 PM. Reason : asdf]

1/21/2006 10:18:20 PM

XP 64 made it on the list of "Ten Failed Tech Trends for 2005" ... here is why:

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1906396,00.asp

1/22/2006 8:48:54 AM

unless you're installing and running programs compiled for the x64 platform, you probbly wont see any noticable improvement.

Also Windows x64 has some weirdness like installing all your 32-bit apps to the "Program Files (x86)" folder, etc.

1/22/2006 11:54:52 AM

Copied from that ^^

Quote :

"The 64-bit edition of Windows XP seemed to take forever to arrive. Measured in Internet years, it was only an epoch or two, not forever. Athlon 64 users everywhere were clamoring for a 64-bit version of Windows. All of us (yes, me included) were waiting with bated breath for 64-bit gaming, 64-bit video editing, sheer 64-bit nirvana. As the updated version of Windows XP receded into the distance, conspiracy theories arose about whether or not Intel was responsible for delays. When Windows XP Professional x64 actually arrived, it was all pretty much underwhelming. This is actually not Microsoft's fault. While the kids in Redmond did hype Windows 64-bit enhancements, they also cautioned that x64 would be a tool mostly for developers and certain vertical applications. The 64-bit version of Windows Vista would be the real deal. But most of us weren't listening . . . not listening, LA-LA-LA I WANT MY 64-BIT WINDOWS!! As it turns out, driver availability has been the main Achilles' heel. While graphics cards, chipsets, and audio drivers have been readily available, drivers for newer printers, webcams, and other common peripherals have been MIA. On top of that, consumer applications have been dribbling out. There have been a scant handful of games, with the latest announcement being Half-Life 2 and Lost Coast. But for the most part, 64-bit games haven't been the panacea. Coupled with the fact that a number of 32-bit games won't run on 64-bit Windows, gamers have been avoiding the new OS. Even applications you'd expect to see run natively at 64 bits have been scarce. LightWave 8.5, Newtek's 3D authoring package, is available, as is Cakewalk Sonar, a pro digital audio software suite. But missing are 64-bit versions of Autodesk's AutoCAD and 3ds Max, Adobe's software suite, and many others. Sure, 64-bit computing will arrive, but the self-inflicted hype surrounding Windows x64 hasn't helped convince users. As with similar transitions in the past, it will take several years before 64-bit on the desktop PC becomes mainstream"

Thanks be to eraser.

1/22/2006 12:09:00 PM