64bit -- 32bit advice please

  • Thread starter Thread starter Glenn
  • Start date Start date
G

Glenn

I am planning to upgrade my PC in the most economical manner over the next
12 months
Starting with a new Motherboard and 64bit Processor. All current loaded
software is for 32bit.
Will fitting a 64 bit processor affect any of my software or should I stick
with fitting a new 32bit/motherboard/processor.


Many thanks for your input

Glenn
 
Glenn

Your are on the right track. Get the new motherboard and an Athlon 64
processor. The Athlon 64 contains the entire 32 Bit instruction set as well
as the 64 Bit instruction set. Load Windows XP (32 Bit) on your new system
and all your 32 bit software. You should have no problems, unless your
software is really out of date.

Regards

John
 
Glenn said:
I am planning to upgrade my PC in the most economical manner over the next 12
months
Starting with a new Motherboard and 64bit Processor. All current loaded
software is for 32bit.
Will fitting a 64 bit processor affect any of my software or should I stick
with fitting a new 32bit/motherboard/processor.
Click to expand...

All the AMD64 processors handle 32-bit and 64-bit software with equal ease. On
the Intel side, the Itanium apparently chokes on 32-bit code, but the
consumer-grade Pentium 4 processors handle 32-bit code just fine.

You will likely find a better price:performance ratio with AMD.
 
and all your 32 bit software. You should have no problems, unless your
software is really out of date.
Click to expand...

The only software I had a problem with was VMware 3. Due to
PAE mode being used by Windows for stack execute protection,
the older VMware didn't recognise the mode the CPU was in.
However an upgrade to VMware 5 got it working again.

So far that is the only software I have had trouble running
in 32bit WindowsXP on a 64bit processor. Everything else runs
perfectly.

P.S. If you are planning on a move to 64bit Windows in the future
when it becomes better supported by hardware drivers and game
software, I would recommend the AMD over Intel. The AMD core
runs much faster in 64bit mode than 32bit. Intel however
implemented 64bit mode as microcode, which is a bit like software
emulation but done inside the chip. This means that current
Intel chips run 64bit code slower than 32bit, the exact opposite
of AMD. However this may change with the next range of Intel
chips based on the Pentium M.
 
Back
Top