how important is 64 bit?

[mitchie]

I was considering getting an X2 4400 (AM socket) but have been told the E6300 is the better value. Won't I be losing 64 bit support by switching to the Duo? and how important is that?

 

[Hiruko]

Core 2 Duos are x86-64 processors.

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: mitchie
I was considering getting an X2 4400 (AM socket) but have been told the E6300 is the better value. Won't I be losing 64 bit support by switching to the Duo? and how important is that?

If you are going to overclock, the C2D is certainly a much better value...if you aren't, then the system price on the X2 would probably be better...
However, the C2D is 64bit...and if you have to ask, then 64bit probably isn't going to be very important to you at all.

 

[TheStu]

I'm not trying to threadjack here, but i also curious about 64-bit processing. What are the pros and cons as compared to 32-bit processing, and how much of it is OS dependant?

 

[lyssword]

64 bit supports more memory, so its more for the future prolly (to support like 8+ gb ram). Other than that, unless you have 64bit windows/linux OS and a program written in 64 bit, its only a selling point That being said, 64 bit-supporting processors are new generation, and 64bit or not they are faster than 32bit only older generation cpus

 

[Viditor]

Originally posted by: TheStu
I'm not trying to threadjack here, but i also curious about 64-bit processing. What are the pros and cons as compared to 32-bit processing, and how much of it is OS dependant?

You cannot run anything in 64 bit without a 64bit OS...
The advantages are:
1. extra registers
2. the ability to address much more memory. Remember that this is not just being able to USE more memory...it affects the way memory is stored and addressed as well. For a very good dissertation on the subject, I suggest you read Vee's Post here on AT Forums...

 

[TheStu]

So the big thing between 64 bit and 32 bit is the memory issue then non? The extra registers are nice as well I suppose, but it can be assumed that using the mac pro as an example, they would not have been able to let you upgrade to 16 GB unless the cpu's were 64 bit?

 

[Chocolate Pi]

The key point here is that virtually every new CPU, AMD or Intel, desktop or mobile, is 64-bit...

 

[Roguestar]

64 Operating Systems are a hassle, and Windows XP-64 was simply a bone MS threw to the AMD crowd to make us happier about our Athlon 64s. For the average Joe User and Jane Gamer, 64-bit computing has yet to reach maturity.

 

[mitchie]

Will DDR1 work with the Intel Duo?

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: mitchie
Will DDR1 work with the Intel Duo?

I don't believe that DDR1 scales high enough to have made it onto any boards for the CD/C2D.

 

[Bill Brasky]

Originally posted by: mitchie
Will DDR1 work with the Intel Duo?

Yes. ASRock 775Dual

This budget solution accepts ddr and ddr2, as well as having an agp slot. Personally, I wouldn't consider buying a core 2 duo without getting a nice board and ddr2.

Here's an article to help you out.

Text

 

[piddlefoot]

64 bit is to 32 bit what 32 bit was to 16 .
Its a huge difference in gaming performance, and visual effects with other programs, its increased colour depth, and loads more raw data can be processed by the cpu, remember 16 bit games at all, l still have one, my 4400+ dual core AMD can run it fine, alot of older games wont run on xp or 64 bit cpu's or dual cores even, my 16 bit pc game is battlezone, given it pretty old now, when you see the graphic difference between them old games and todays, like say, Half Life 2, there is no comparison, 32 bit owns 16, and 64 bit will OWN 32 bit, just a matter of time now.

Bring on 64 bit, and physic's for that matter !

 

[Roguestar]

A long, long, long, time.