WIRED: Intel and the 64-Bit Question

[Array]

bah.....i think 64 bit computing on the desktop is going to make things VERY confusing for the consumer in the foreseeable future.

[beaker]

actually they are right. For most things and app compiled for 64 bit will only slow down 95% of the apps out there that the average consumer runs. For us and other professionals and some prosumers though, it is very important and will speed up our apps greatly.

[Tan]

Originally posted by beaker
...that the average consumer runs.

What drives people to buy new computers in the consumer market are videogames. I remember hearing about how it's this that fuels the consumer market the most. Let's admit it, people don't need a 3 ghz to run Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer.

Now my point about videogames is this, 64bit will make a hell of a difference, enough to warrant demand.

But you're Beaker, you'll probably put me at my place with you're next post.

:D

[beaker]

No need to make this personal, keep it in private if you want to do that.

[Tan]

uhmm, look at my emoticon. Smile means I'm joking around right?

[richcz3]

Tan I think your hitting the nail on the head.
A 700 MHz is more than fast enough for a basic office machine.
Rationalizing a 2GHz starts to get absurd.

On Games and Entertainment
I remember going to some conventions here in LA when the Alpha proc was still around. They were showcasing an X32 emulation program for the Alpha. (if someone remembers what that was...chime in please). I believe it was supposed to allow you to run your favorite 3D apps on an Alpha using its 64 Bit power. Of course, they were showcasing Quake2 and even had a LAN running to showcase performance and stability over a 32bit system. Selling the entertainment factors never hurt.

Gaming and entertainment have always been a strong backbone to launch new technologies. Digital Extremes is already working on the 64Bit UT2K4 for AMD. But are gaming and content development niche markets?

For the masses, Apple can be thanked for trumpeting 64Bit louder than need be. The achillees heal may be the size of the business market. How many IT depts can justify the expendature if few office applications are compiled to 64Bit?


richcz3

[beaker]

Originally posted by richcz3
For the masses, Apple can be thanked for trumpeting 64Bit louder than need be. The achillees heal may be the size of the business market. How many IT depts can justify the expendature if few office applications are compiled to 64Bit?


richcz3
Thats the thing, compiling an office apps and many other apps for 64 bit will make them run much slower. So as long as we have processors like the G5 and the AMD64/Opteron that run 32 bit apps just fine. There is no reason to recompile them for 64 bit.

[Thalaxis]

Originally posted by beaker
Thats the thing, compiling an office apps and many other apps for 64 bit will make them run much slower. So as long as we have processors like the G5 and the AMD64/Opteron that run 32 bit apps just fine. There is no reason to recompile them for 64 bit.

Well, not MUCH slower, but slower, yes. However, given how fast
even an entry level PC is these days, who'd notice?

The real issue is effort; no one's going put actual time and effort
into a 64-bit port; the initial recompille itself is a fairly trivial effort,
but the QA process that goes with it is not. Since there's no
reward, there's no incentive, since QA isn't cheap, even if it's
half-assed (which usually ends up costing more in the long run).

The one major exception to this (Opteron's extra registers are a
minor exception, IMO -- they MIGHT offer benefits, but not across
the board) is Itanium, but I get the impression that Intel's plan is
to do away with hardware x86 in Itanium entirely, and go back to
a software solution akin to the aforementioned FX!32 (my guess
is HP's Dynamo), which will probably make porting office apps to
Itanium pointless, since again, there will be no gain; who's going
to notice a difference between running MS Word on a 4.2 GHz P4
and a 2.0 GHz P4?

[richcz3]

Yes FX!32 thanks for remembering that.

Originally posted by Thalaxis
...who's going to notice a difference between running MS Word on a 4.2 GHz P4 and a 2.0 GHz P4?

Well thats the quandry here, what will the average office/email/web surfer notice...not much. But percieved " PR"increase on a whole is better than informed increase. I feel once the consumer market gets an earfull from the Apple campaign, there could be a need for speed lemming effect more than a neccesity effect.
Where as the prosumer and media development market will be more keenly aware and able to appreciate the benefits. But just how big is that market and can it sustain the production requirements for a continuance against 32Bit sales?

I would absolutely hate to be a buyer at any of the PC firms right now. With the market the way it is, what channels if any, do you fill in volume with 64Bit solutions for the next 6 months...year?
How hard do you push 64Bit if your existing channels are logged with 32Bit solutions for the coming year(s). Yikes!


richcz3

[Thalaxis]

Originally posted by richcz3
Yes FX!32 thanks for remembering that.


I used it a couple of times. It ran Cinema4D moderately well. :)


I would absolutely hate to be a buyer at any of the PC firms right now. With the market the way it is, what channels if any, do you fill in volume with 64Bit solutions for the next 6 months...year?
How hard do you push 64Bit if your existing channels are logged with 32Bit solutions for the coming year(s). Yikes!


The issue is specifically x86, not so much 32-bit itself. Even Intel
is stuck with it now -- and it apparently even hampered the
Itanium2... which is why whatever the Alpha design team cooks
up for a successor to Itanium2 won't have hardware x86.

[t-man152]

Im glad that AMD is going to be the first to get 64 bit on the PC side. I mean I love AMD. thanx to them I was able to make a great computer for a fracyion of the cost it would have cost if I had gone with Intel. Also it doesnt matter wether you are a regular consumer, a pro or low-end consumer. The fact is AMD will get more sales thanx to this. it gives bragging rights. take the NVidia vs ATI whoever had the best video card sold more. even on th low-end side. So its good that finaly AMD is making a come-back. they were a bit behind since the P4 raised their front side bus and maybe they can come back and take back a big part of the market.

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