Reprint - 64 bit computing

FEATURE MOVING TO 64-BIT

64-bit
is here
Do you a want faster, bigger,
smarter PC? Of course you do.
Richard Wentk ﬁnds out what life
will be like when he’s 64
Illustration: Simon Parr

114 PCPlus 231 | July 2005

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MOVING TO 64-BIT FEATURE

Richard Wentk
richard.wentk@futurenet.co.uk

With 20 years of experience
in IT, Richard is more than
qualiﬁed to talk about the
long awaited move to 64-bit

A
t long last the 64-bit
masterplan that has
been evolving for the
last few years is
starting to come
together. Microsoft’s new Windows
XP x64 OS has finally arrived to
support the 64-bit hardware that
has been available from Intel and
AMD for some time now. But there’s
still a lot of confusion about how
best to make the move, and what it
means to a typical PC user. So
what’s involved? And is it worth
making the change?

The hard option
The news on the hardware front is that the
upgrade process is relatively painless.
Aside from the processor, 64-bit doesn’t
need any uniquely different hardware.
Some older motherboards will even accept
a 64-bit processor without any
modifications. In the AMD world most
Socket 754 motherboards will accept an
Athlon 64 as well as an older 32-bit
processor. The newer 64-bit friendly format
is called Socket 939, and will accept a 939-
pin Athlon 64 or Athlon FX. (There’s also
the older Socket 940 for FX-51 and FX-53
models, but this is now obsolete.)
However, not all motherboards are
equally happy with the newer 64-bit
processors, especially at faster speeds.
AMD’s website includes a comprehensive
list of motherboards that have been tested
and approved for each processor, and it’s
well worth checking to see which
combinations are listed before you get out
your credit card.
At the higher end all Opteron
processors are 64-bit ready. This raises the
performance issue. If you’re interested in
64-bit you’re interested in raw speed, so
which processor model should you go for?
Based on various benchmarks – a good
source is the Spec site at www.spec.org –
an Athlon FX-55 is around 10 per cent
faster than an Athlon 64 4000+. The top
Opteron models will be slightly faster
again. For most applications this doesn’t
translate to a huge performance increase,
so unless money is no object you
can use an Athlon 64 4000+ without

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What is 64-bit?
Both Intel and AMD 64-bit processors use
the same underlying processor model. This
is very similar to the old 32-bit model, with
simple but significant extensions.
Externally the main difference is that the
memory data bus is now 128-bits wide.
With suitable matched memory hardware
this can double the memory bandwidth of
a system. Inside the processor the old 32-
bit register set has been extended both
horizontally and vertically. There are twice Will it or won’t it go faster in a 64-bit
as many main registers and they’re twice environment? So far, mostly it won’t.
as wide. There’re also an extra eight 128-bit
registers to support multimedia (XMM) losing sleep over performance. If cost isn’t an Linux and Linux applications have been around
instructions, bringing the total to 16. The issue a multiprocessor Opteron workstation is for about a year now. A detailed survey would
address space has also been extended, hard to beat. require an article of its own, so we’ll just mention
with 64-bit mapping to up to 52-bit In the Intel world the latest 6xx series of that because the Linux environment is more DIY-
physical address. For backwards Pentium 4 family chips and the Extreme Edition oriented, it’s relatively easy to roll your own 64-bit
compatibility there’s a 32-bit mode, which have the 64-bit extensions, as do current Xeons at applications by compiling source code with a 64-
makes it possible to slot a 64-bit processor the server end. Current Socket 775 motherboards bit switch enabled. For best results, code has to be
into a 32-bit system. should be compatible with the 64-bit Pentium hand-optimised, which is rather more time-
So what does this mean in practice? In a range. Intel only lists its own motherboards on its consuming and requires a lot more skill. But if
best case scenario the new register model website, so it’s a smart move to check for you want a taste of 64-bit and can live with the
improves calculation speed and efficiency compatibility by referring to the manufacturers’ rather rough edges that are still offered by many
and the added memory bandwidth means websites instead. In performance terms Intel’s Linux applications, the Linux environment is well
that getting data from memory causes less and AMD’s ranges are broadly comparable, with worth investigating.
of a slow-down. How often this ideal state neither currently offering stand-out performance In the world of Windows the big news is the
is reached in real software depends on the in any segment of the market. Although Opterons arrival of Windows XP x64 (reviewed last issue).
quality of the compiler and how good it is seem to be slightly faster than Xeons at the high- In a press briefing in April group program
at keeping variables in registers, instead of end. Deciding which to go for is a matter of cost, manager Clyde Rodriguez explained that the
main memory. It also depends on how availability, convenience and motherboard easiest way to get hold of the new operating
carefully programmers code. In a worst features, and on this basis an AMD FX-55 seems system is to buy a new PC with it preinstalled.
case scenario there will be very little to offer better value than a Pentium Extreme This covers the new PC market, but what about
difference between 32-bit and 64-bit Edition. However, both are specialised items with existing owners? According to Rodriguez there
performance, because the processor will specialised prices that are already far above that will be no separate boxed product, so you won’t
spend most of its time moving bytes and of the mainstream. be able to buy a copy at your local PC store.
words to and from memory and operating Performance from other system components is However, Rodriguez added that it was ‘well
on them individually. So the 64-bit no more critical than it is for a 32-bit system. Fast known’ that many OEMs would supply a
extensions will effectively be wasted. memory makes a slight but not huge difference to Windows licence with certain Microsoft hardware.
In the real world, this translates to performance. Vendor hype aside, the reality is So supposedly if you buy a Microsoft mouse, you
significant possible gains in multimedia that an efficient cache effectively decouples can get Windows XP x64 for free just by asking for
applications, as long as they’re coded memory from the processor. As long as memory a licence. This is possibly more of a US practice
carefully. And almost none at all for more is fast enough to keep up there’s little point in than a UK one, and time will tell if it’s an
traditional email and office applications. paying extra for extra bandwidth. Meanwhile approach that UK OEMs will be able to
disks and graphics understand and appreciate.
cards are limited by In the meantime there’s the Microsoft’s
current bus Technology Advancement Program. If you bought
technologies, so 64-bit your PC after 31 March 2003, you’re eligible for an
doesn’t offer much of upgrade CD. According to Rodriguez you can get
an advantage here. A this from your reseller. Or if you put your PC
faster processor means together yourself you can buy a CD from the
that any IDE-based Microsoft website for $22 including postage to the
disk systems will get a UK. (See http://www.microsoft.com/
speed hike, but ATA windowsxp/64bit/upgrade/default.mspx).
and SATA technology However, there doesn’t appear to be a
still send information downloadable option at this time. Note also that
to and from the disk a the website asks you to enter a valid Certificate of
16-bit word at a time, Authenticity or Product ID, so if you mistakenly
and this remains a threw those out when you bought your Windows
fundamental XP Pro package, you’re completely out of luck.
bottleneck that 64-bit Note also that by upgrading to Windows x64, your
doesn’t address. old Windows XP Pro licence becomes invalid, as
it’s not included in the scheme. If you’re using
Going soft Windows XP Home Edition, it seems that the only
Internally 64-bit looks a like 32-bit. It’s just bigger. And there’s more of it. What about software? way you can upgrade to Windows x64 is to buy a
64-bit versions of new PC.

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Client vs server vs Linux
The 64-bit OS isn’t just a desktop phenomenon. At the same time as Microsoft rolled out its client version of
Windows XP x64, it also announced 64-bit enabled versions of the Windows Server 2003 range. As with the desktop
version these will be supplied with new server hardware. And also as with the desktop version upgrades from older
versions of Server 2003 seem difficult at best and impossible at worst, although given the way that servers are
installed, this may be less problematic for IT managers.
In fact 64-bit technology makes a lot more sense in this part of the market than it does on the desktop. Breaking
through the 4GB memory barrier means that server hardware can keep more processes in memory and spend less
time swapping to disk. The speed benefits will be obvious and
dramatic. The 64-bit versions of Server 2003 are also better
suited to multiprocessor systems. The desktop version of
Windows x64 is limited to two processors. Some versions of
Server 2003 can support up to sixty-four. Most readers of this
magazine won’t be building their own processor farm
supercomputer systems, but a quad-processor system for the
desktop isn’t that far fetched, surely. Unfortunately, Windows XP
x64 Pro won’t support it. And in general as multicore systems
become more common, it won’t be until Longhorn, if then, that OS
support for them will become solid.
The irony for Microsoft is that Linux is far ahead in the 64-bit
stakes. If you want ultimate 64-bit performance, put together a
Linux system and recompile your number crunching or graphics
applications to take advantage of the speed difference.
Multiprocessor support is also much easier to arrange. Of course,
not everyone likes Linux or the software available for it. And
even fewer users want to spend their time fiddling with
compilation switches and small bugs. Still, it remains true that if
Linux is currently far more 64-bit friendly than
you want the best 64-bit can offer now, you’ll get more from Windows, but some assembly may be required.
Linux than from any other environment.

Getting it on nothing. The irony here is that Windows x64
Assuming you can get hold of the product, the includes support for processor-level antivirus
next hurdle is the installation process. It’s protection. Unfortunately it’s not going to be fully
important to understand that Windows x64 effective until antivirus tools that support this
requires a clean install, and will format your main feature arrive on the scene.
system disk before installing itself. So if you were Other applications seem to work more
hoping to be able to upgrade your PC and keep successfully. 16-bit applications are the biggest
all your existing settings and software – you can’t. casualty, so if you have anything left over from
This is going to give many users pause for the DOS and Windows 3.1 era, now’s the time to
thought, because it means a new round of finally say goodbye to it. In the 32-bit world, only
installations and for many high-end products, a a few oddities like Adobe Acrobat 5 and Ahead
tedious round of licence reauthorisations too. Nero seem to cause problems, and the latter can

“Any product that hooks directly into
the 32-bit kernel will no longer work,
especially antivirus and firewalls.”
Once Windows x64 is installed and working, be fixed with a patch. iTunes can allegedly be
compatibility with older 32-bit software is rather temperamental too, although this seems to
generally good. But according to Microsoft, any be a driver issue – more about this later on.
product that hooks directly into the old 32-bit It’s important to understand that current 32-bit
kernel will no longer work. This is especially software will run at 32-bit speeds in a Windows
relevant to antivirus and security tools like XP x64 environment. To see the benefits of 64-bit
firewalls, which work by trapping kernel-level you’ll need true 64-bit applications, and these are
accesses. Antivirus software vendors are working still very thin on the ground for now. Cakewalk,
hard to produce 64-bit versions of their products. Avid, SoftImage and various others have
Norton is available already, but only to buyers of promised that native 64-bit versions of their
the corporate version. products will appear over the next year or so. But
Desktop versions of antivirus products are for now the list of true 64-bit products includes
unlikely to become available for another six Adobe’s Creative Suite 2, and Steinberg’s Cubase
months or so. Currently only avast! antivirus SX3 and Nuendo 3. And in the freeware world
(never anyone’s favourite AV tool) offers true 64- there’s also a 64-bit version of the popular 3D
bit kernel support. So the alternatives for tool POVRay. The dilemma for games
Windows XP x64 users seem to be avast! or companies is that releasing 64-bit versions

PCPlus 231 | July 2005 117

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DOs and DON’Ts
>> DON’T assume you can upgrade
to x64 without a complete
reinstall – because you can’t.

>> DON’T forget upgrades are only
available for Windows XP Pro
users. If you’re running Windows
XP Home, you’re out of luck. You may have 64-bit ready
hardware already. But you won’t
>> DON’T forget that old 16-bit apps be able to use it unless you can
also find 64-bit drivers.
won’t work any more in Windows
XP x64.

>> DO understand that any 32-bit
software that hooks into the will increase performance but potentially limit comprehensive list of drivers from the bigger
kernel, such as security tools like sales. So far the games sector has been very quiet names in the business – Epson, HP, Nvidia,
antivirus and ﬁrewalls aren’t about 64-bit. There’s no doubt it will have to Matrox, ATi, Logitech, and so on (the full list is
compatible with Windows XP x64.
make the move eventually, but it’s not yet clear here: www.cdrinfo.com/Forum/tm.asp?m=10
>> DO check 64-bit drivers are when. Game compatibility is also good, so Half 6657&mpage=1&#106817). Middle-of-the-road
available for all of your hardware Life 2, Doom 3 and other classics seem to work hardware including the most common graphics
before you try to upgrade. happily within the new OS; although once again, cards, sound cards, mice and printers should
without any speed or performance benefits. work out of the box. But if you have anything
more exotic, like a motherboard with a RAID
Driver dilemma array, a graphics tablet, an unusual monitor, or a
One possible reason for delays is that Windows digital camera with its own drivers, your hardware
XP x64 needs completely new drivers. None of probably won’t work. In fact given the uncertain
your existing hardware will work without them. status of 64-bit driver development – developing
The final release of Windows XP x64 includes a new drivers is a major commitment for

PCP231.f1 Sec1:118 16/5/05 6:47:58 pm


manufacturers – it’s possible your hardware will
never work in a 64-bit environment. Some Intel vs AMD
companies like M-Audio in the audio world have
made sure they’re not left behind by aggressively How different are AMD’s and Intel’s take on 64-bit be no issues with software compatibility. So are
developing new drivers. But others are dawdling, technology? Intel of course developed Itanium as the two families identical? Not quite. AMD hasn’t
and if you rely on a certain hardware item you’ll its first take on 64-bit, but it’s clear now that introduced Intel’s new media friendly SSE3
need to be sure drivers are available before trying Itanium is unlikely to put in an appearance on the instructions on all of its 64-bit chips. And there’s
to upgrade. desktop any time soon. Instead, Intel has no support from AMD for HyperThreading.
For many owners, this will be the show- borrowed AMD’s extended 64-bit specification, However SSE3 is set to become a standard feature
stopper. There’s no point upgrading to the new which is known in the industry as EMT64. This on all of its newer chips from this year. And
Windows and then finding your camera, modem produces a processor that looks very much like HyperThreading only makes a small difference for
or soundcard no longer work, and that it’s not an older 32-bit chip, but with a few relatively certain applications. The bottom line is that
clear when or even if drivers will be released for simple enhancements. (See the ‘What is 64-bit?’ functionally the two ranges are more or less
them. If you use your PC for media work, the boxout for details). Because Intel and AMD are interchangeable and equivalent, and neither has
driver issue can’t be emphasised enough. High- using the same programming model, there should the technical edge.
end printers, colour profiling tools, MIDI and
audio interfaces, and video system components
all have question marks over them.
It’s also a very relevant issue for laptop and
desktop owners with system components that are
more than a couple of years old. Put simply, you
shouldn’t consider upgrading until you’ve
inventoried all the components in your PC and
laptop and made sure drivers are available for all
of them. If you don’t do this, some or all of your
hardware may not work after the upgrade.
There are differences within processor lines - the FX and Extreme Editions are marginally faster
than the rest - but the core 64-bit technology used by both Intel and AMD is identical.
The 64-bit question
But the real question is: do you want to make the
change? Strategically there’s a feeling the big
players have dropped the ball with this roll-out. how it’s viewed in Redmond as a slipstream
In theory, 64-bit offers supercomputer power in a release. Enthusiasts who don’t mind solving
desktop form factor, and the biggest interest problems will be interested now, and media
should have come from 3D, media creation and professionals will pay more attention when new
scientific applications. A smart strategy would 64-bit products appear. For developers it offers a
have been for Intel, AMD and Microsoft to set this chance to start to work on new 64-bit applications Comparison of 64-bit
level buzzing with compatible hardware and – with the proviso that Longhorn will be here
software before they started knocking on the door soon, and any new product cycle will only last a & 32-bit architectures
of the mainstream market. year or so. For everyone else, the benefits of
Realistically, no home user today needs 4GB upgrading are less clear cut. 64-bit mostly means more available memory.
Here are the differences between the versions:
of working memory. But in the professional media So overall, while we’d love to be shouting the
world, being able to keep long sections of video or wonders of 64-bit from the rooftops and telling ADDRESS SPACE 64-BIT WINDOWS 32-BIT WINDOWS
even an entire DVD project in main memory everyone that it’s a great idea to upgrade right
offers huge potential. A concerted effort at this now, but we’re not going to do that. It certainly will Physical memory 128GB 4GB
high-end could have created the kind of glamour be a great idea to upgrade eventually, but our Virtual memory 16TB 4GB
around 64-bit that the Silicon Graphics brand suggested strategy for anyone who wants to use
Paging file 512TB 16TB
had in this niche ten years ago. From there 64-bit seriously instead of just playing with it is to
gaming spin-offs could easily have created a way make the change gradually. Because there’s no Paged pool 128GB 470MB
in for the home user, with improved performance upgrade path on a single machine, the smoothest
Nonpaged pool 128GB 256MB
matching the power of highly pipelined graphics and easiest way to make the transition is by
cards to offer new levels of detail and realism. running a new 64-bit machine next to a 32-bit System cache 1TB 1GB
Instead, what we have are two technologies – machine, and moving data and applications
64-bit processing and a 64-bit OS – aimed rather across slowly. This isn’t an upgrade for a single
uncertainly at the desktop, and looking around afternoon: it’s more an extended process that can
rather sheepishly for applications and wobbling take a few weeks of spare time driver checking,
because of patchy driver support. Hardware copying and reinstallation. And if you rely on
support is limited in exactly the media-related specialized hardware to get a job done, your first
and scientific areas where it should be strongest. step should be to check for driver availability. This
Adobe’s CS 2 is the only candidate that resembles applies equally to old and new hardware, and
a killer app, and while it’s going to sell well to the especially to motherboards with special features
creative set, the 64-bit features don’t quite add up that may be compatible with 64-bit processors, but
to a must-buy for anyone using an older version. may not yet have 64-bit driver support. If you’re a
Only those who want to stay at the bleeding edge gamer or enthusiast the best way to get your hands
will have much of an incentive to change. In fact, on 64-bit is to buy a completely new system from
given that a complete reinstall is required and a reseller with all the drivers supplied, so you can
there’s no way to clone a working 32-bit system to be up and running with the least effort. Don’t
a new 64-bit machine, there’s a significant assume 64-bit will turn your PC into a gaming
disincentive. Even more so given the uncertainty powerhouse, because even with Windows XP x64
around driver support. it won’t – at least, not yet. And if you’re building a
So instead of gung-ho market-wide new system from scratch, to be honest, the best of
enthusiasm, Microsoft has been frank about what luck to you. All of the issues mean this isn’t a path
this iteration of 64-bit means on the desktop, and to be taken by the fainthearted. PCP

PCPlus 231 | July 2005 119

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