"aether" wrote in message
ups.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.

DS