Building a new computer, and with the funds I have, I figured it would be worth a shot to take a step into the boundries of new(er) technology, or at least, what I haven't experiemented with before. I'm getting an Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4 Ghz, 64 bit compatible. With all the research I've done I've found that Windows x64 isn't so great with drivers, but that's not all I'm really worried about.

The computer is going to be primarily a gaming computer, simple sound drivers, video drivers (which I know are available) are really the only drivers that will be necessary. What I want to know is...what kind of software alone is incompatible with Windows x64? Will the games not be compatible? I read in a magazine that 64 bit is a step that gamers and digital image composers are going to be the ones that are going to want. I haven't been able to find a straight up recomendation. Thanks for the help!

Im not sure why people go for Windows XP 64bit edition. It tends to be refined for very high performance. Such as a CAD program etc... or web development, or maybe things with lots of RAM needs and storage capabilities. However I the non 64bit OS's will work, and other Windows versions are compatible and will run with more performance, exspecially Media Center Edition. As to X64s compatibility with apps I cant really tell you as I have never tried it out. But I guess there is a list somewhere.

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Hi Ironmaningellis,
Welcome to CompuForums. I hope that you can post here often and add yourself to our member map.

I think that it would a good idea for you to get the Core 2 Duo, but install a 32bit edition of Windows. You will still get all the benefits of dual core but without the incompatibility.
When a solid OS for 64bit that has great compatibility comes out, you can then buy it, but for now you can just use a "normal" 32bit OS.

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Hmmm so the way to go is stay with a 32 bit OS...I suppose it's a little disappointing to hear that it isn't wise to go the route that has been rumored to have the best performance out there but that's okay. Thanks a lot for the advice both of you. I'll go classic Win XP.

The 64 bit version isn't all that great. to kinda explain it it's able to run 64 bit applications like ash said cad software ect. it can also run 32 bit programs as well the problem is it goes one way or the other so if i'm understanding the way it was explained to me is say your trying to run a 32 bit application but you drivers and such have 64bit drivers it will have some issues running the program or may not run it at all the 32 bit version is thae way i went because there just isn't many programs out there that make use of the 64 version. So mainly it depends on what you use your systm for.My system is what i would consider a gaming rig and i won't run the 64bit version. This is my setup.
1.Msi Kan ne04 platinum sli Mobo
2.amd athalon 4800x2 gual core cpu
3. 3 gig corsair platnium ram.
4. two evga 7900gt co Vga cards in sli
5. Four 250gb seagate hard drives (way overkill)
With all the stuff i got wrapped up in my system i chose not to have the headachs of running 64bit version save some money get some better toys for your pc

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It seems as if every person has a different experience with Win XP x64. Many people swear by it, while others can't use it. In my case, there were no real "software" problems, though most applications are not 64-bit (correct me if I'm wrong). Also, the main benefit of 64-bit operating systems, and why people wish to use them, is because large amounts of RAM can be allocated to one program (I believe the limit in Win XP is something like between 1-2 GB of physical RAM to one application--again, correct me if I'm wrong)--more than the what the 32-bit OS can allocate, and much more than the typical 4 GB to 8 GB max system RAM limit that regular systems today can have. So unless you're going to use a program that can and will use more than 1-2 GB physical RAM (note, not virtual memory)--hardly any current, typical programs that are properly functioning will utilize this much anyway, so there's no point in using a 64-bit operating system. You won't notice a difference in gaming performance. Your processor will not "work" faster than it will in a 32-bit OS. The only benefit I could see is that, assuming you have gobs of RAM--like 32 GB (yeah, right), there will be no lag when the OS has to go over to virtual memory because everything will be right there in the RAM--all applications in the OS environment.

In my experience, I had a lot of problems finding 64-bit drivers for Win XP x64--namely sound and network. With my new system, it's not an issue as these drivers are readily available now, but really, why bother? The system won't really run any different. In fact, I'm probably not going to "upgrade" to Vista (why would I want to use an OS that REQUIRES 128 MB of accelerated graphics memory just to run the OS, let alone any 3D graphics programs like gaming--not a problem because it's well within my system specs, but why? so unneccary!). Sure, with the release of Vista, having 64-bit drivers probably won't be an issue because the OS is written with 64-bit drivers for hardware, but it's totally unnecessary--for once the software is ahead of the practically-available hardware.

I thing that 64 Bit OS Worth's But... I believe you have to wait for Windows Vista X64!

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