64bit XP Pro vs 32bit XP Pro

[Kittamaru]

I need to know, honestly and truthfully, if installing 64bit XP Pro is worth it over 32bit.

AMD Opteron 148 w/ 64bit capability cpu
Asrock ULi M1695 Dual Sata2 MoBo
eVGA 7900 gtx vid card
Creative Labs SB Audigy 2ZS sound card
2gig DDR PC800 OCZ Ram in Dual Channel
250 gig WD 7200 RPM Sata 2 HD

I have heard some programs and even just drivers have issues with XP 64 bit. Is this true? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Ect ect yadda yadda. Get to discussing!

[Rock]

Originally Posted by Kittamaru

I need to know, honestly and truthfully, if installing 64bit XP Pro is worth it over 32bit.

AMD Opteron 148 w/ 64bit capability cpu
Asrock ULi M1695 Dual Sata2 MoBo
eVGA 7900 gtx vid card
Creative Labs SB Audigy 2ZS sound card
2gig DDR PC800 OCZ Ram in Dual Channel
250 gig WD 7200 RPM Sata 2 HD

I have heard some programs and even just drivers have issues with XP 64 bit. Is this true? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Ect ect yadda yadda. Get to discussing!

I have 64 bit windows, not really sure if any difference, have been told 64 bit more secure and less problems, saying that i have had problems. These day's there area lot of drivers that support the 64 bit OS so that's good.

Only reason i had it to be honest was to have 4 Gig or Ram, i was told this was only way of using it properly

[Twisted_Firestarter]

I would say there is no compelling reason to run 64bit XP at this point. I've never seen any benchmarks for general apps that shows more than a few percentage point gain in performance even for 64bit specific apps. And I've seen several benchmarks that notes a decline in performance for 32bit apps running under 64bit XP. This is especially true if you only have 2GB of RAM.

The only way I would advocate using a 64bit OS today is if you use photoshop, compile mp3s, or do extensive video editing. These are all CPU intensive processes that will typically benefit from a 64bit OS.

[Kittamaru]

What about compiling maps?

[War.mongeR1]

I would think that instead of shelling out the dough for 64 bit XP Pro, just wait a little while for Vista. I think it might be way better for taking advantage of 64 bit processing for everyday use.

[Twisted_Firestarter]

Originally Posted by Kittamaru

What about compiling maps?

Compiling maps? Huh?

Originally Posted by War.mongeR1

I would think that instead of shelling out the dough for 64 bit XP Pro, just wait a little while for Vista. I think it might be way better for taking advantage of 64 bit processing for everyday use.

I dunno that it will be significantly better as far as taking advantage of apps, but there will be significantly better drivers for it. To obtain Vista WHQL certification, driver developers must supply both 32 and 64 bit versions of each driver. So, the 64bit support in Vista will certainly be better...eventually.

[Kittamaru]

:P I got XP 64 bit Pro free from my university. The question is, now, do I use it, stick with 32 bit, or get Vista (the school is going to get the second tier Vista) when it comes out. I have the 64bit XP Pro already, just dunno if I want to use it.

As far as compiling maps, I map for HL and am learning HL2 mapping mate. Eg, making maps for like, NS? You know, the levels you run around in? Yeah, I can make those :P

[Satertek]

There is absolutely no reason to run a 64 bit version of Windows right now. (This applies to both XP and Vista) Driver and application compatibility are horrible, and the performance gain you get from running (the few) 64 bit apps over their 32bit counterparts is very very small. More often than not, the 64 bit version performs worse due to compatibility issues.

Overall just a huge pain unless you need it for some specific reason.

Maybe some of the next-gen DX10 games like Crysis and Unreal 3 will make more use of the additional 64bit space, but right now its pretty pointless.

[snooggums]

I purchased the 64 bit XP when I upgraded as it was both 50 bucks cheaper than 32 bit pro and I found drivers for everything before I purchased. Although I cannot compare performance since I don't have a reference I can say that you have to make sure every piece of hardware needs to have 64 bit drivers, and there can be some issues with games.

If they are the same price get the 32 bit version. If you already have the 32 bit version stick with it.

[Zid]

the only benefit (that i'm aware of) of a 64 bit windows is the ability to put in as much ram as you want. as of now i think the most our motherboards can handle is about 8 gig if you buy a new one.