Do You Really Need a 64-Bit Processor for Everyday Use?

[Saint]

How urgent do we need 64-bit PC ?

AMD will launch its Athlon 64 2 months later.
Apple just launched it this week.
Do we really need it? If you are a homeuser who need a PC to play games, surf net, type documents, do some light programmings, need 64-bit ? [?]

 

[Guybrush Threepwood]

1. From what I've read those 64 bit babies are made for servers, super-computers and other big processing needs...
2. Intel has launced Itanium so AMD must recover (some of) the market
3. As a home user I don't need one but it would be cool to have it

PS: I've read that the work for 128 bit processors is on the way too...

 

[Zantra]

It's not that you need one, but the different sectors of the computer industry feed off each other. Whenever chipmakers relaase a new chip, the software companies take advantage of that and produce software that takes advantage of the added speed. In doing so it increases the hard drive and memory requirements, thus forcing those sectors to also upgrade. Have you noticed that trend before? new software comes out, but the minimum hard drive, memory and CPU requirements keep going up and up. This fuels the entire industry of chipmakers, pc,software and hardware manufactures in a self contained, self generating industry. Which is why technology is so sucessful in the marketplace. You don't "need a 64-bit chip, but I bet within 6 months every new game you buy will require it.

And are they releasing the chips as fast as they make them? And loose all that revenue of 1 chip by releasing a faster one too early? heck no! They have a predetermined time cycle for each chip, and release based on that timetable regardless of how far ahead of themselves they get. And you bet your ass they are way ahead of that release cycle. I'm sure they've reached, if not broken the 10GHZ mark already.

Doesn't matter what you "think you need" Intel will "TELL YOU" what you need, and you'll be forced to upgrade. "welcome, you have been assimilated" I say Intel, because for the most part, they set the bar for new technology.

 

[Artman]

Basically stated, if you can run all of the software that you need with your present machine, at a speed that is adequate to your needs, you don't need to upgrade.

Software will drive the upgrade. When some software comes out that you feel you must have, for whatever reason, and it requires 64 bit processor, then it will be time to upgrade.

Actually, Intel is very good at creating technology that allows backwards compatability. It would be easier for them just to create CPUs that do not support old software, forcing total system and complete software library upgrades. These total breaks are rare and usually driven by the Operating System writers, such as MS phasing out real mode DOS in Win ME, which eliminated many DOS programs from easy use.