New processors coming soon from Advanced Micro Devices and Apple suggest 64-bit computing will make its way to a desktop near you this year. But what does that really mean for you? Let's put it this way: If you think today's computers are fast, wait until they make the leap from 32 bits to 64 bits. This isn't about more megahertz--it's about actually doubling the amount of data a CPU can process per clock cycle. Servers and high-end workstation have been reaping the technology's benefits for years.
It's true a 64-bit desktop computer won't make your word processing program run faster (sorry, you're the bottleneck in that equation). But a 64-bit chip has the power to dramatically improve the performance of your more demanding applications, such as audio and video encoding, complex engineering programs like CAD, and--of course--games. And in the long term, 64-bit computing will give programmers much more power to play with, and could revolutionize what desktop software can do.
The Skinny on 64
The amount of data a chip can process at once is a fundamental difference between today's 32-bit desktop processors--like Intel's Pentium 4, AMD's Athlon XP, and Apple's Motorola-made G4--and future 64-bit desktop CPUs, says Kevin Krewell, senior editor at Microprocessor Report. In the 64-bit camp are Apple's pending IBM-made G5 and AMD's upcoming Athlon 64.
News source: PCWorld
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