64-bit or 32-bit: When will it matter?

  • Thread starter Thread starter aether
  • Start date Start date
aether said:
Could anyone tell me if this motherboard
(http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=240159)
supports dual channel memory? I know it doesn't support DDR2, but what
of regular dual channel DDR-400? I checked the official site of the
board
(http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=1&model=262),
and it states it features 'dual DDR 400 memory support'. I'm thinking
that's what it means, but I have to double-check with the pros.
Click to expand...

All socket 939 boards support Dual Channel.

Thats the reason they aren't socket 754.

Ben
 
Don't look now, but I've got another question.

Will this memory
(http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80097-20)
function on this motherboard
(http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=240159)?

The reason I ask, is that it states for the memory on the Zipzoom site
that:

*Note 1: HyperX is high performance memory and may not be compatible
with your computer. Please check your system specifications to ensure
compatibility.
*Note 2: Kingston's HyperX kits are designed and tested to meet dual
channel architecture requirements such as those found on chipsets and
motherboards like NVidia's Nforce2, and Intel's Canterwood and
Springdale."

I'm hazarding a guess, but I think if it works on an Nforce2
motherboard, it'll work on an Nforce4 board. Again, just making sure.
 
Ben said:
David Schwartz wrote:



If you buy a socket 939 CPU and motherboard today, you should be able to
whack in a dual core CPU at the end of the year.

I suspect that the 939 socket will live for a while, with options like that.

Ben
Click to expand...
And you believe this why? Any indicators that you can share by any
chance, or is it just a hunch? I went 939, though I don't have my CPU
yet, and I expect it to last a year maybe, but AMD has had a strong
habit of late changing pinouts like granma makes cookies and granpa
stinks up the room with cigars (At least my grandpa, who was a cool
dude, smoked stogies).
 
signmeuptoo said:
And you believe this why? Any indicators that you can share by any
chance, or is it just a hunch? I went 939, though I don't have my CPU
yet, and I expect it to last a year maybe, but AMD has had a strong
habit of late changing pinouts like granma makes cookies and granpa
stinks up the room with cigars (At least my grandpa, who was a cool
dude, smoked stogies).
Click to expand...

Dual Processors are going into socket 939 in under 6 months, that hardly
sounds like a socket thats gonna die soon.

When did Socket A come into existance? 5 years ago? And it's still going.

OK, so you've had socket 754 and 939 introduced. How long was 754
around before 939 came out? Not very long... there weren't that many
people who bought a 754 and were unable to do the research and find out
that it was gonna die pretty quick. So AMD made a mistake. However,
socket 754 will be around in the cheap market for some time too.

There's talk of a DDR2 CPU (new socket, over 1000 pins), but thats not
gonna be for a year or so.

Thats hardly that many sockets, look at what Intel are doing...

Ben
 
Too put it in VERY simple terms, It will matter when programs start being
coded for 64 bit processors and Windows 64 is released.. There arent many
out there right now, but until then, all programs run in 32 bit, regardless
of weather or not you have a 64 bit processor installed.
 
Too put it in VERY simple terms, It will matter when programs start
being coded for 64 bit processors and Windows 64 is released..
There arent many out there right now, but until then, all programs
run in 32 bit, regardless of weather or not you have a 64 bit
processor installed.
Click to expand...

Unless you want to use an alternative OS (Linux, BSD, Solaris). Since
there are a lot of programs whose source is also available making
them 64-bit is just a recompile away.

Though I don't think many applications would really gain much for
recompiling into 64-bit versions. More memory space would be the main
thing.


P.S. Could you please not top-post?
 
Though I don't think many applications would really gain much for
recompiling into 64-bit versions. More memory space would be the main
thing.
Click to expand...

That's the key difference between the availability of 64-bit processors
and the introduction of 32-bit and 16-bit processors. When 32-bit processors
and 16-bit processors were first available, there was already a huge base of
software that could greatly benefit from the additional capability. However,
there is very little currently existing software that can significantly
benefit from 64-bits processors. Few applications actually need to deal with
numbers larger than a billion, whereas many applications need to deal with
numbers larger than a hundred thousand.

DS
 
I think David has a point, if it's speed your looking for but you dont
want to risk it use Parallel boards instead.
 
David said:
That's the key difference between the availability of 64-bit processors
and the introduction of 32-bit and 16-bit processors. When 32-bit processors
and 16-bit processors were first available, there was already a huge base of
software that could greatly benefit from the additional capability. However,
there is very little currently existing software that can significantly
benefit from 64-bits processors. Few applications actually need to deal with
numbers larger than a billion, whereas many applications need to deal with
numbers larger than a hundred thousand.
Click to expand...

In the case of x86 64-bits, the real gain is to be had from the
additional registers, and the onboard memory controller (in some cases).
Also some unrecompiled 32-bit apps can gain from having additional
address space specifically devoted to them and not shared with the OS,
which now has its own address space well out of the way of these apps.

Yousuf Khan
 
While for the most part that may be true for the majority of users, there
are applications where the added memory and address space would make a
significant difference, most notably where massive amounts of data requiring
extremely accurate calculations are slugged around. There are also a
significant number of businesses whose data mining operations, and on
occasion regular database requirements, would benefit from the extra hard
memory. Of course, a lot of those applications are already using existing
64-bit hardware and operating systems, so Microsoft and its toy operating
system isn't going to be making a great deal of headway there.
 
DD said:
Of course, a lot of those applications are already using existing
64-bit hardware and operating systems, so Microsoft and its toy
operating system isn't going to be making a great deal of headway
there.
Click to expand...

While I don't necessarilly disagree with you, now that Intel and AMD
are producing commodity 64-bit processors (I don't classify Itanium
as commodity), this may (probably will) lower the cost of getting a
64-bit system.

In the past 64-bit platforms could only be had as a premium. They
were generally engineered as servers or "workstations" (e.g.,
UltraSPARC, Alpha). In the near future any old "PC" will be 64-bit.

It's not so much a case of what will happen when 64-bit is available
-- it's been around for a while. Rather it's a case of: will anything
interesting happen when everyone and their dog has a 64-bit machine?
 
David said:
While I don't necessarilly disagree with you, now that Intel and AMD
are producing commodity 64-bit processors (I don't classify Itanium
as commodity), this may (probably will) lower the cost of getting a
64-bit system.

In the past 64-bit platforms could only be had as a premium. They
were generally engineered as servers or "workstations" (e.g.,
UltraSPARC, Alpha). In the near future any old "PC" will be 64-bit.

It's not so much a case of what will happen when 64-bit is available
-- it's been around for a while. Rather it's a case of: will anything
interesting happen when everyone and their dog has a 64-bit machine?
Click to expand...
Perhaps the real question of when will everybody, or even anybody other
than server apps, benefit from 64bit?
 
Perhaps the real question of when will everybody, or even anybody other
than server apps, benefit from 64bit?
Click to expand...
The HPC community already benefits as well. Our sims run significantly
faster in 64bit mode than in 32bit, and several *couldn't* be run
on a 32bit system due to the limited memory space.
 
The HPC community already benefits as well. Our sims run significantly
faster in 64bit mode than in 32bit, and several *couldn't* be run
on a 32bit system due to the limited memory space.
Click to expand...


C'mon, Josh, don't scare the children ;)

They're so happy with their little itty bitty computers and microsoft.

Micro... what a concept.
 
Bill said:
Perhaps the real question of when will everybody, or even anybody other
than server apps, benefit from 64bit?
Click to expand...

I think even using the 64-bit address space to be able to use multiple
32-bit apps with their own *full* 32-bit address space is real benefit
from 64-bit.

Yousuf Khan
 
C'mon, Josh, don't scare the children ;)
They're so happy with their little itty bitty computers and microsoft.
Click to expand...

Resistance is futile . . . you will be fitted with a 'Bill' face to carry on
the mission.

-g
 
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