Win 64 Bit?

[Kristafon]

It sounded cool, getting a 64 bit version of windows for my new 64 bit processor. But looking at it all it seems to do is allow for more RAM. Is it worth getting?

Also on the topic I have seen requirements that say something like Pentium 4 2.5 GHz equivalent, I have also heard that 2.0 GHz is fast for an AMD Athalon 64 processor which I have got. Does that mean that its actualy more than 2.0 Ghz? :rolling:

Oh yeh, will HL2 have the 64 bit client from the off?

 

[Steven Q Urkle]

dont understand first question. add more ram? its free to download win xp 64 as its a beta.

AMD does more things per second so its different. Dont you know what model you have? a 3400+ model is equal to 2200ghz but equal to Intel 3.4ghz because of the speed.

from the off? the start? no there may be a 64 bit patch for it eventually though

 

[Kristafon]

sorry it is the 3000+ model

 

[blahblahblah]

Don't buy the Athlon 64 processor for its 64 bits support. The Athlon 64 has awesome performance in today's applications.

Windows 64 has been nearly delayed for a year now. I don't even think they have a time table anymore for the release of Windows 64. Anyways, to really use any of the advantages of 64 bits, you need to have

1) a 64 bit processor
2) a 64 bit operating system
3) 64 bit drivers (for your video card, sound, motherboard, etc)
4) a game that uses a 64 bit system.

So far we only have number 1 on the market. Number 2 is in beta, while number 3 is in really early beta. Number 4 on the list doesn't exist yet.

My advice is to ignore 64 bit talk until something really starts to happen. However, the Athlon 64 is a really good processor for current and future applications when used in 32 bit mode.

 

[Hungry_Gamer]

I agree 64bit Windows is dodgy at the moment. Not enough good and working drivers

 

[ShinRa]

actually #4 on that list does exist. far cry, doom 3, and hl2 are all making 64 bit versions.

 

[blahblahblah]

actually #4 on that list does exist. far cry, doom 3, and hl2 are all making 64 bit versions.

Tell me where to download it. Windows XP 64 bit edition was scheduled for release for last October. They shattered that deadline. Unless I physically see a link with the the 64 bit version/patch for a game, I won't believe. It would be hard for me to imagine that ID software is working on a 64 bit version of Doom 3 when the SDK, demo, and patch needs to come out first. Same goes with Far Cry and HL2.

Having a 64 bit game is still far away. Even if something does come out soon, there will be serious performance and bug issues that will have to be resolved. Don't expect 64 bits to be a smooth and quick transition over.

 

[Revisedsoul]

by the time 64 bit os comes out with wokring 64 bit drivers adn programs the current 64 bit chips could be out of date.

 

[gegam]

what will 64 bit bring to games? more fps? better graphics than an x800xt 6xaa 16xaf ful settings running at 60 constant fps 1024x764?

 

[bosox188]

Yes one thing I was wondering is that by the time the 64-bit stuff comes out, some of these A64's are gonna be getting old. I mean by Longhorn, do we really know that the Athlon 64 2800+ or 3000+ that so many people are getting currently will even be fast enough to run the new games well?

 

[SaL]

Tell me where to download it. Windows XP 64 bit edition was scheduled for release for last October. They shattered that deadline. Unless I physically see a link with the the 64 bit version/patch for a game, I won't believe. It would be hard for me to imagine that ID software is working on a 64 bit version of Doom 3 when the SDK, demo, and patch needs to come out first. Same goes with Far Cry and HL2.

Having a 64 bit game is still far away. Even if something does come out soon, there will be serious performance and bug issues that will have to be resolved. Don't expect 64 bits to be a smooth and quick transition over.

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is designed to address the most demanding business needs of technical workstation users who require large amounts of memory and floating point performance in areas such as mechanical design and analysis, digital content creation, and scientific and high-performance computing applications.

Note regarding the CD: A new version of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Preview is on its way. The CD is currently available to pre-order with shipping expected to begin approximately August 30, 2004. Please proceed with your order. Orders will be processed when inventory becomes available.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/default.mspx

 

[Cyanide]

http://www.firingsquad.com/features/sweeney_interview/default.asp
This is an interview with Tim Sweeney, lead programmer at Epic games, makers of the Unreal series of games and the Unreal engines. It's not specificly related to Doom3 or HL2 or FarCry, but it will give you plenty of info about why 64-bit is going to take over, the benefits of 64-bit, and the reason it's not so difficult to patch a game from 32-bit to 64-bit.

If you've ever done any programming, you know that it really only takes a 64-bit compiler to make your application 64-bit, once your code is safe for it. It's not like you've got to rewrite the engine completely.

In fact, as you can see from the article, the Unreal2 engine that powers UT2k3 and UT2k4 is already capable of taking advantage of 64-bit processors. And it's over a year old.

The OS is just a kind of middle-man for the programs and games that you're running. It puts itself between the applications and the hardware so that people can write drivers for the OS to support, and then any application programmer can write a program to use the computer's hardware, without having to write his own drivers to tell the hardware how to do what he wants it to do. He can just tell the OS to do it, and the OS tells the driver what to do, and the driver tells the hardware what to do (that's a bit over simplified, but you get the point).

When a program, such as a game, is compiled, machine code (1s and 0s) is created. With a 32-bit compiler, that machine code is made to run on processors that work in 32-bits. With a 64-bit compiler, that machine code is made to work in 64-bits. Think of the compiler as a translater. If you want to be understood by somebody who speaks chineese and somebody who speaks italian, you'd need something that can translate your english into chineese, and something that can translate your english into italian. But either way, it started out with the same english.