Czechmate
04-25-2005, 06:00 PM
This showed up in the mail today. (A lot of times, we don't get boxed copies of these things.)
Some people have asked a few questions about this, so I'll try to clear up some things.
Do I need a 64-bit processor to run Windows 64?
Yes. Additionally, it's a fresh install -- you can't just install over your existing OS.
What can I upgrade from?
You can only upgrade from Windows XP Professional without being charged for it. (XP Home doesn't qualify.) If you don't have WP Pro, you'll have to buy a copy and then use that to trade up.
Where can I buy a copy?
Windows x64 will not be available in stores. You will have to go through an OEM or a system builder to get it. If you have a machine that came with XP Pro pre-installed, you can go back to them and request the x64 disk.
Are my 32-bit games and such compatible?
For the most part, yes. This is going to be dependent on the game or application. If the application uses it's own proprietary 32-bit engine (most virus scanners do, for example), then it won't work. Programs with 16-bit installers won't work at all. Additionally, all your drivers (video, sound, and so on) will all have to be 64-bit. MS claims that there are around 16,000 drivers on the CD, but inevitably, someone will have something that isn't covered. I'd guess that most major brands of things are covered.
How does this impact my games and stuff?
There are a lot of advantages. You can now address 128GB of RAM versus 2GB per logical processor (4GB for computers with two logical processors). While that's nice and all, the real advantage will be when games and such start being written for 64-bit OSes from the ground up. At the launch, exactly four games will be 64-bit rady: UT2K4, FarCry, SpecOps, and something I'm forgetting. Microsoft describes this as a "crawl, walk, run" process. These first few things that are 64-bit are really just ports of their 32-bit counterparts. That's the "crawl". The "walk" is when devlopers really polish their 32-bit ports and add content that is exclusive to the 64-bit version. The "run" is when developers are writing programs exclusively for 64-bit from the design stage.
When should I get it?
While it'll affect your games and such to a certain degree, it's really not something you need until developers are in the "run" stage. I would guess this holiday season would be the earliest we'd see that, and more likely, it's not until next year sometime. Longhorn (the next version of Windows) is due out in mid to late 2006, so you may just want to wait for that.
I'll be installing Windows XP Pro x64 (that's the full name) on some test machines. One is the Intel 3.2GHz EE Dual-Core and the other is an Athlon64 x2 (the dual core AMD chip). I'm waiting on the hard drives from Hitachi, but I should have those tomorrow or Wednesday. I'll let you kids know how compatible (or incompatible) this is with stuff along the way.
~Czech
Some people have asked a few questions about this, so I'll try to clear up some things.
Do I need a 64-bit processor to run Windows 64?
Yes. Additionally, it's a fresh install -- you can't just install over your existing OS.
What can I upgrade from?
You can only upgrade from Windows XP Professional without being charged for it. (XP Home doesn't qualify.) If you don't have WP Pro, you'll have to buy a copy and then use that to trade up.
Where can I buy a copy?
Windows x64 will not be available in stores. You will have to go through an OEM or a system builder to get it. If you have a machine that came with XP Pro pre-installed, you can go back to them and request the x64 disk.
Are my 32-bit games and such compatible?
For the most part, yes. This is going to be dependent on the game or application. If the application uses it's own proprietary 32-bit engine (most virus scanners do, for example), then it won't work. Programs with 16-bit installers won't work at all. Additionally, all your drivers (video, sound, and so on) will all have to be 64-bit. MS claims that there are around 16,000 drivers on the CD, but inevitably, someone will have something that isn't covered. I'd guess that most major brands of things are covered.
How does this impact my games and stuff?
There are a lot of advantages. You can now address 128GB of RAM versus 2GB per logical processor (4GB for computers with two logical processors). While that's nice and all, the real advantage will be when games and such start being written for 64-bit OSes from the ground up. At the launch, exactly four games will be 64-bit rady: UT2K4, FarCry, SpecOps, and something I'm forgetting. Microsoft describes this as a "crawl, walk, run" process. These first few things that are 64-bit are really just ports of their 32-bit counterparts. That's the "crawl". The "walk" is when devlopers really polish their 32-bit ports and add content that is exclusive to the 64-bit version. The "run" is when developers are writing programs exclusively for 64-bit from the design stage.
When should I get it?
While it'll affect your games and such to a certain degree, it's really not something you need until developers are in the "run" stage. I would guess this holiday season would be the earliest we'd see that, and more likely, it's not until next year sometime. Longhorn (the next version of Windows) is due out in mid to late 2006, so you may just want to wait for that.
I'll be installing Windows XP Pro x64 (that's the full name) on some test machines. One is the Intel 3.2GHz EE Dual-Core and the other is an Athlon64 x2 (the dual core AMD chip). I'm waiting on the hard drives from Hitachi, but I should have those tomorrow or Wednesday. I'll let you kids know how compatible (or incompatible) this is with stuff along the way.
~Czech