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.
--
http://www.techfreakz.com - PC Enthusiasts


"signmeuptoo" wrote in message
ink.net...
Ben Pope wrote:

David Schwartz wrote:

"aether" wrote in message
groups.com...


Building a computer from scratch. It'll be built for someone who'll
use it for alot of things, but tilted in the 'gaming' direction.
Should whether the processor is 64-bit or 32-bit matter? If not,
when? If so, how so? In other words, should I go AMD or Intel? I
understand AMD is slightly faster for games, but what I'm more
interested in is the long-term utility of the 64-bit processor. By
the time 64-bit programming is mainstream, will whatever processor I
purchase be obsolete? I'd like for the computer to be functional for
at least two years, if not alittle longer. If I went 32-bit (Intel),
would it assuredly be obsolete, whereas with AMD not so much?

I would consider a processor with 64-bit support to be a slight
plus right now. At the moment, you're probably better off letting
64-bit CPUs drop the prices on processors without 64-bit support.
It's quite possible that by the time you want a 64-bit CPU for games,
the CPU you buy today will already be obsolete.


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

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).