Athlon 64 Bit Processors on 32 Bit Apps

[jak]

Hi all,

This is my first post. I tried searching on the subject but came up empty. Do the Athlon 64 bit processors have any advantage over the Athlon 32 bit processors while running 32 applications on Windows XP 32 bit? I use CAD/CAM in my business and they do not for see converting to a 64 bit application for 3-5 years.

Would you stay with a 32 bit processor such as the Athlon 3200+ 400mhz or invest in the 64 bit version (3200+ 64) Athlon processor at this time?

Thanks for the info.

Jeff

 

[mechBgon]

The Athlon 64 is much more than just an AthlonXP that has some 64-bit stuff bolted onto it; it's a whole new architecture where the memory controller is built into the CPU, which uses Hypertransport to talk to the rest of the system. It also features SSE2 extenstions, which the AthlonXP does not. The heatsinks have gotten easier to deal with too!

In practical terms, what we know so far is that the Athlon 64 performs outstandingly on 32-bit WinXP with 32-bit apps. Check here for some benchmarks of the ~$220 Athlon 64 3000+ against some of the other contenders. The situation will only get better as they augment the current Socket 754 models with the upcoming Socket 939 models this spring... there will be some pretty intense platforms to go with that, and the one I'm waiting for is nForce3 250Gb, with its native-to-the-southbridge gigabit Ethernet and SATA/PATA RAID (among other things).

Welcome to the Forums, hope that helps some

 

[jak]

That is the info I was looking for. Thanks!

I was highly considering going with Athlon 64 bit processors when I upgrade my systems but wanted to make sure I was getting something for the additional money running the same 32 bit apps. It looks like the 64 bit Athlons offer much more than the their 32 bit cousins so the 64 bit is the way I will go.

Jeff