Hi,
I am looking for some advice and was wondering if anyone could help me out. I am currently building a new PC. I am using some of the parts from my old pc e.g. graphics card, sound card etc, but I am getting a new motherboard and processor among other components. Someone advised me to get a 64 bit processor (Im sticking with AMD as this is what iv always had) so I looked into them. I have found a processor and a new motherboard. However, I read somewhere that the new windows xp 64 bit edition has a lot of problems. And using the old xp pro 32 bit with a 64 bit processor doesnt use the processor to its full potential.
Does anyone know any more about this? If I use the current 32 bit xp with a 64 bit processor will it still be noticably quicker? Or would you recommend just going for a quicker 32 bit system?
Thanks in advance, I am very greatful for any advice given.
CondorSpyrit.
All of AMD's fastest chips are 64-bit. They aren't necessarily faster because they are 64-bit; rather, all their latest chip lines are 64-bit capable.
64-bit Windows still has many problems, so you shouldn't use it unless you have to. If you don't know whether or not you need to use 64-bit Windows, then you don't need to use 64-bit Windows.
There really isn't any performance loss by running a 32-bit version of Windows on a 64-bit-capable processor. The performance gains that come by being able to use a 64-bit chip won't be fully realized for many years to come. Many years will pass before software vendors move from 32-bit applications to 64-bit ones, and you only fully use a 64-bit processor when you have a 64-bit OS and 64-bit applications.
In short, you aren't losing out on anything by using a 64-bit chip with a 32-bit OS, but you will be settling for a slower chip if you buy an older, 32-bit AMD chip rather than one of their newer 64-bit ones.
To be sure, I'm using the 32bit XP on an AMD 64. I have noticed a slight performance boost, even in 32 bit XP. When I installed XP x64, however, the OS felt much more slick. However, I switched back to XP 32 bit for a critical reason: hp has not yet made available a 64 bit driver for my printer (Deskjet 3325)...the moment the driver's released, I'm heading for XP x64.
Also, Nortin AV 2005 doesn't run on XP x4. However, avast! AV is freely available for XP x64 for home users.
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