ramollari
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Hey does anyone know if WindowsXP will run on the new AMD 64bit processors? After all, are AMD processors compatible with pentium (i.e. x86 processors)?
The discussion centers around the compatibility of Windows XP with AMD 64-bit processors, exploring the backward compatibility of AMD's architecture with x86 processors and the implications for running 32-bit operating systems.
Participants generally agree on the backward compatibility of AMD 64-bit processors, but there are competing views regarding the performance and advantages of AMD versus Intel processors, as well as the specifics of the Itanium's compatibility.
Some statements about compatibility and performance are contingent on specific definitions and interpretations of backward compatibility, and there are unresolved details regarding the implementation of compatibility layers.
AMD's 64-bit processors are backwards compatible:ramollari said:Hey does anyone know if WindowsXP will run on the new AMD 64bit processors? After all, are AMD processors compatible with pentium (i.e. x86 processors)?
hitssquad said:AMD's 64-bit processors are backwards compatible:
- AMD64 represents a break with AMD's past behavior of following Intel's standards, but follows Intel's earlier behavior of extending the x86 architecture, from the 16-bit 8086 to the 32-bit 80386 and beyond, without ever removing backwards compatibility. The AMD64 architecture extends the 32-bit x86 architecture (IA-32) by adding 64-bit registers, with full 32-bit and 16-bit compatibility modes for earlier software.
This is why AMD managed to outmaneuver Intel in the 64-bit arena. Intel's 64 bit offering, the Itanium, is not backwards compatible with 32-bit operating systems.