32-bit vs. 64-bit - what does it mean?

[RPT]

Okay, here's an ultra-newbie question which may not even belong in this forum, but I'll ask it anyway. If I get no responses, I'll know my question wasn't appropriate.
I've been thinking about upgrading my system (I currently have a 1.0 Gig AMD), and I've been advised to upgrade to a 64-bit system. My question is ... what are the practical differences between a 32-bit system and a 64-bit system? What kind of applications will it most impact on (I am particularly interested in speeding up video encoding & DVD authoring, and enableing smoother multi-tasking)? Will any of my current applications be unable to run on a 64-bit system? Finally, will there be applications in the future that will only run on 64-bit systems, so resistance is futile?
Thx!

[UncasMS]

for the time being i see no use in an 64bit OPERATING SYSTEM
(not to be confused with an amd64 cpu which i'll recommend)

win xp 64 still has to be improved in terms of drivers which makes it LESS good atm

then you'll hardly find any encoding engine that makes use of 64bit and thus there is no benefit from using 64bit os with very poor driver support

get yourself an athlon64 (or even an athlon x2 [dual-core cpu]) and run a 32bit os - you will be rewarded with a major speed improvement compared to your 1ghz machine

[RPT]

That was actually the question I meant to ask ... is there any use at this point in upgrading to a 64-bit CPU rather than just getting a faster 32-bit CPU. I know that the current XP-Pro Operating system (which I have no intention of upgrading just yet) operates on 32-bit technology, so is there really any value at this point of upgrading to 64-bit technology? I'm assuming that Vista, or Longhorn, or whatever MS is calling it this week, will be based on 64-bit architecture, but what would be the impact of upgrading be now ... particularly when it comes to video encoding / authoring processes, and multi-tasking?
Many Thanks!!

[UncasMS]

upgrading to an athlon64 is something i'd do any given day (had i not already done so)

should you be able to afford an athlon x2 cpu (dual core) you will be even more rewarded when it comes to multitasking

running an encoder/transcoder will not slow your system down when runnig another intensive task or vice versa

but even with a non-dualcore cpu you will gain from a whole new performance compared to your current system

what kind of cpu-speed/system do you have in mind when upgrading NOW/SOON?

[RPT]

I'm trying to keep costs down, so I was looking at the AMD Athlon 64 2800+ 512K Cache. It seems like the best buy for the money in a 64-bit processer. The place I'm looking at sells it for $139 Cdn. But the motherboard, memory and installation brings it up well over $300 Cdn., plus 15% sales tax (Oh Canada!!!).

[UncasMS]

if i were you i'd try to get an athlon64 with a VENICE core

they are very good to overclock and produce less heat than newcastle or winchester cores

and what socket do you plan to go for?
754 or 939?

if you can, go for 939

i have had an 754with my first athlon64 but exchanged this after a couple of month for a 939 system for numerous reasons

dual channel ram usage was the main reason and of course the possibility to upgrade to an athlon x2 cpu when they will be affordable - with socket 754 it's sort of a dead end and i would not have the chance to upgrade at all

[RPT]

I was going to go with the socket 754 CPU / Motherboard ... socket 939 hardware seems about double the price!! Is it that much better?

[UncasMS]

it is better imho but it sure wont be worth 2x the price

i'm really surprised though that the price is two times as high for the 754 as it is for 939

are we talking about same manufacturer for the mainboard and same speed for the cpu?
or is the 754 system equipped with a sempron whereas the 939 has an athlon64?

939 is a bit more expensive here but not 100%

a 754 system with an msi baord and 3000+ cpu is about 40% cheaper than an asus board and 3000+ 939 venice cpu, where the asus board is definitely a bit better then the corresponding msi board with socket 754

that of course doesn't help you in any way

dont spend 2x times the price on the 939 and enjoy the 754

btw: if you can, go for 1gb or ram

[techno]

AMD sucks - period - and i know uncasms and some of you will disagree hehe

to me there is a reason to upgrade - more support for future software and devices - also allows bigger larger complex mathmatics to be carried out on 64bit.

it is also a bit faster than 32bit even if the speed of the CPU is the same... we had tested this back at work for fun and these were the results.

[UncasMS]

long time no see, techno

and no, amd defintely does not suck

a p4 produces way more heat, consumes much more power is not even cheaper in order to even think about getting one

[techno]

not really my friend, its actually the other way around

there was a world record just broken for overclocking (i am against overclocking) a P4 to 7.13GHz using liquid cooling - and it was stable!

amd produces ALOT of heat than intel... i know this and have seen it

well we are going to argue about this hehe but.... I would say there is a point to upgrade to 64bit (OS/CPU)

for home users - not really but for business users - most defenitly... home users should upgrade next year... really for Vista since Vista requires generally a whole new hardware spec because of the graphics used and because of the way the architecture was designed - it will run on todays systems but not as good as newer ones and some functionality will be disabled

[UncasMS]

there was a world record just broken for overclocking (i am against overclocking) a P4 to 7.13GHz using liquid cooling - and it was stable!

which has absolutely nothing to do with the current topic - affordable hardware and which does not mean much at all

nobody here uses liquid nitrogen in order to overclock an otherwise much to warm cpu

amd produces ALOT of heat than intel... i know this and have seen it

WRONG - we're talking about athlon64 here and they are cooler than p4s

[techno]

lol i beg to differ

INTEL rock - period... amd overall over heat alot... we have a shop here and they sell nothin but amd (and a few p4)---every cpu of amd they sell comes back the same/next day

my company doesnt touch amd bcos of the past experience and frankily..intel are better

however, this is out own opinions

[UncasMS]

every cpu of amd they sell comes back the same/next day

lol

well i'm using amd cpus for some 13yrs now, maybe i should sell some to edinburgh

[techno]

lol good idea - best one actually since that company is crap and gets "dodgy" stuff... but yeh.. if you do sell them here - there will be REAL competition mister