Depends, would the install of Linux be able to run all my games? All my windows software? If not, prolly not. On the other hand, if Hammer does scream in term of performance in modern code, and M$ releases a consumer version of Windows XP that uses the 64-bit extensions of Hammer, I would get a Hammer and use that version of XP on it. No point in not taking advantage of that portion of the CPU (what little the 64-bit extensions would help an OS) if I have it. However, the availability of a WinXP 64-bit won't be a decisive factor in whether I opt for a Hammer or not.