At last 64 bit computing came for the common man. All these years while working with a 32 bit system I used to wonder when the next generation of processor will arrive?
For me, the common man, its the generation after pentium the processor looks awesome with 754 pins to connect to the motherboard (AMD athlon 2800, 1.8 megahertz).
I am writing this review after nearly one year of getting the new processor, because simply I could not get the operating system for 64bit .At last it came in my hands. The performance , benchmarks can be had through numerous technical papers that are widely available.
I would like to write my observations from a common user’s point of view.
First the problem I faced was installing the raid driver.So its my advice ppl who plan to upgrade to 64 bit OS in AMD based systems, get the raid driver beforehand and keep ready in the floppy.I have a MSIE motherboard, so downloaded the driver from their website.Intel based system owners need not worry as the windows xp software comes packed with the required driver for intel based systems.
Then came downloading all the drivers for motherboard, sound and audio and LAN card. So if you are planning to upgrade, first keep all the drivers ready in hand.
The biggest problem I felt was that getting the drivers for 64 bit systems are really tough and for few modems, the drivers are not available at all.
So you must check first if all the drivers are available.
For example, if you are connecting the BSNL broadband through USB , the driver for 64 bit is not available.You have to connect it through the LAN only.
When I upgraded, the visible difference was not much. The performance was improved, but I felt it is marginal.
Most of the softwares are still designed for 32 bit systems.Those can be installed, (in a process called WOW, which creates a mask like thing to create the 32bit environment within the 64 bit operating system) but the performance doesnt increase, rather technically it has to decrease.
Even common applications like MS office is not coded for 64bit system to my best knowledge.
The graphics are also affected it seems.
Moreover for the programmers, finding a 64 bit based compiler for C is real tough.So it doesnt run there too.
I am sure one has to wait for another year or more to find all the things in shape. Hence for the common man , its my advice:
Just donot rush for the 64 bit system because it looks doubly powerful.
Installation may be troublesome.
The performance is not increased unless proper versions of softwares are installed.
I know the write up is small. more replies and criticisms will make it rich. Better if the users list their personal experiences. Technical bulletins are available widely.