64-Bit System Question?

[vegettoxp]

Hello there guys, I just wanted to get a better understanding for 64-Bit Computing. My new Rig will be 64-Bit (Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770) Ready and since I have never used 64bit system, I just wanted to learn more about it. So if you guys can answer few of my question, it would really make my life a lot easier.

1) I know the biggest problem these days is 64-Bit Driver Support? Is this still Ture or Have things changed?

2) When it comes to software, I know the software have to be written in order to take advantage of 64-Bit System and Multi-Core, I am gona do my best to

get all my software 64-Bit Ready, but Will I still be able to run 32-Bit Based Software on 64-Bit system? I am pretty sure that not all software out there are gona be 64-Bit ready. Your Thoughts?

And if you guys can give me any good links that talk about 64-Bit Computing, Please share them with me. I wanna learn as much as possible before I go from 32-Bit System To 64-Bit System.

Thank You for All you Help!

P.S. Fusion

Edited May 10, 2008 by vegettoxp

[Fox Mulder]

Some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit General info

http://www.start64.com/ News, drivers and software

http://www.64bitsupport.com/ 64-bit support forum and community

You may want to post here too:

http://www.msfn.org/board/Windows-XP-64-Bi...ition-f104.html

Edited May 10, 2008 by Fox Mulder

[Legolash2o]

1) I've always had all the x64 drivers, never had any trouble looking for them at all and that was about two years ago and pretty much all new hardware comes with x64 drivers (at least for what i've bought anyway), if you are planning on buying new hardware... make sure there are x64 drivers on the manufacturers website before you buy.

2)Yes i still use a few 32bit programs on x64, but hopefully they will release x64 version of the 32bit software.

[DigeratiPrime]

moving this to the hardware forum since imo most issues with a 64bit OS have to deal with hardware support (drivers)...

[cluberti]

1) I know the biggest problem these days is 64-Bit Driver Support? Is this still Ture or Have things changed?

Vista x64 has pretty good driver support (*cough*Nvidia*cough), but XP/2003 x64 is still somewhat lacking (not as bad as before, but it can still be a bit of trial and error).

2) When it comes to software, I know the software have to be written in order to take advantage of 64-Bit System and Multi-Core, I am gona do my best to

get all my software 64-Bit Ready, but Will I still be able to run 32-Bit Based Software on 64-Bit system? I am pretty sure that not all software out there are gona be 64-Bit ready. Your Thoughts?

Unless the x86 application has specific hardcoded information for filesystem or registry that do not exist on 32bit, has a kernel filter driver, or tries to use AWE or other such memory tricks, it should work just fine on an x64 version of Windows. This is not always true with games, but for other software, it is - games you should definitely check around before trying on x64. In that vein, however, you will need 64bit antivirus software, for instance, because it uses a filter driver (most 3rd party firewall software does as well, so you would need a x64 package of that as well).