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http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=xpx64&page=1
The Final Word
Despite the fact that Windows XP Professional x64 Edition looks the same, has the same basic feature-set, and performs nearly identically to that of today's 32-bit Windows XP Professional, one should not underestimate the important of this operating system. Microsoft has ripped out the engine from the car without scratching the finish; replacing the core operating system with one which sets the framework for the next 5-10 years of Windows based computing. Windows XP x64 Edition lays the groundwork for the era of 64-bit on the desktop, which will likely hit its stride with Microsoft's upcoming Longhorn operating system. Longhorn is set to arrive with native 32-bit and 64-bit support, and will be able to utilize the x64 drivers being developed for today's XP x64 Edition.
While most of our tests showed nearly no performance difference between 32-bit XP and XP x64 Edition, keep in mind that the 32-bit programs in our test have to go through an emulation layer to run. When you consider they are going through an emulation layer and seeing almost zero performance difference, the performance levels seen from x64 Edition are actually quite impressive. With true 64-bit compiled applications, we can start to see glimpses of the 15% performance boost we were promised. Applications like Sciencemark and Sandra see noticeable benefits when running in a full 64-bit environment, but these are just synthetic benchmarks. While we have seen quotes from game developers and audio/video content creation software developers that x64 will bring very solid and noticeable performance increases, we were not able to see any huge boosts with our applications today. We have zero doubt in our minds that in the next year, 64-bit software releases will be showing better performance compared to today's 32-bit applications and games.
If you are a casual desktop user or gamer, we would recommend sticking with Windows XP Professional (32-bit) for the time being. Migrating to a 64-bit OS at this time will present more headaches and you will not see a huge (if any) performance benefit. In addition, a lot of consumer-level hardware won't have 64-bit drivers and consumer-level software is likely to be more problematic with the 64-bit environment, so it's really not worth the hassle at this time. The situation may change in the coming months, but it looks doubtful.
For high-end workstation and server types, upgrading to XP Professional x64 Edition should definitely be considered. If you have over 2 GB of memory and you have an x64-compatible processor or two, we would say go for it and don't look back. The OS is rock solid stable, driver support for workstation-class hardware is surprisingly good off the bat, and the vast majority of workstation applications ran perfectly fine under this operating system. Considering the price tag between 32-bit XP and XP x64 Edition is nearly identical, we would go for x64 Edition simply for its better memory management alone. In addition, content creation applications for sound and graphics will be the first types of applications which will see patches / releases for native 64-bit operation.
Somewhat easing the pain of their late release, Microsoft has release an upgrade plan for those who gave in and purchased copies of Windows XP Professional (32-bit). Microsoft will provide full copies of x64 Edition if you trade in your XP Professional product key and pay for shipping, which is a fairly good deal in our eyes. In addition, Microsoft also has a free trial version of the OS which you can download in an ISO format directly from their website, which is certainly useful if you're building a new system and want to make sure your hardware is x64 compatible.
While the release of this operating system is somewhat underwhelming (no eye-catching features, very little publicity from Microsoft), we're very happy and relieved to see the OS finally on the market. After such a long period of delays, we were beginning to worry that we would never see the finalized product. Finally though - it's here and it delivers.
The Final Word
Despite the fact that Windows XP Professional x64 Edition looks the same, has the same basic feature-set, and performs nearly identically to that of today's 32-bit Windows XP Professional, one should not underestimate the important of this operating system. Microsoft has ripped out the engine from the car without scratching the finish; replacing the core operating system with one which sets the framework for the next 5-10 years of Windows based computing. Windows XP x64 Edition lays the groundwork for the era of 64-bit on the desktop, which will likely hit its stride with Microsoft's upcoming Longhorn operating system. Longhorn is set to arrive with native 32-bit and 64-bit support, and will be able to utilize the x64 drivers being developed for today's XP x64 Edition.
While most of our tests showed nearly no performance difference between 32-bit XP and XP x64 Edition, keep in mind that the 32-bit programs in our test have to go through an emulation layer to run. When you consider they are going through an emulation layer and seeing almost zero performance difference, the performance levels seen from x64 Edition are actually quite impressive. With true 64-bit compiled applications, we can start to see glimpses of the 15% performance boost we were promised. Applications like Sciencemark and Sandra see noticeable benefits when running in a full 64-bit environment, but these are just synthetic benchmarks. While we have seen quotes from game developers and audio/video content creation software developers that x64 will bring very solid and noticeable performance increases, we were not able to see any huge boosts with our applications today. We have zero doubt in our minds that in the next year, 64-bit software releases will be showing better performance compared to today's 32-bit applications and games.
If you are a casual desktop user or gamer, we would recommend sticking with Windows XP Professional (32-bit) for the time being. Migrating to a 64-bit OS at this time will present more headaches and you will not see a huge (if any) performance benefit. In addition, a lot of consumer-level hardware won't have 64-bit drivers and consumer-level software is likely to be more problematic with the 64-bit environment, so it's really not worth the hassle at this time. The situation may change in the coming months, but it looks doubtful.
For high-end workstation and server types, upgrading to XP Professional x64 Edition should definitely be considered. If you have over 2 GB of memory and you have an x64-compatible processor or two, we would say go for it and don't look back. The OS is rock solid stable, driver support for workstation-class hardware is surprisingly good off the bat, and the vast majority of workstation applications ran perfectly fine under this operating system. Considering the price tag between 32-bit XP and XP x64 Edition is nearly identical, we would go for x64 Edition simply for its better memory management alone. In addition, content creation applications for sound and graphics will be the first types of applications which will see patches / releases for native 64-bit operation.
Somewhat easing the pain of their late release, Microsoft has release an upgrade plan for those who gave in and purchased copies of Windows XP Professional (32-bit). Microsoft will provide full copies of x64 Edition if you trade in your XP Professional product key and pay for shipping, which is a fairly good deal in our eyes. In addition, Microsoft also has a free trial version of the OS which you can download in an ISO format directly from their website, which is certainly useful if you're building a new system and want to make sure your hardware is x64 compatible.
While the release of this operating system is somewhat underwhelming (no eye-catching features, very little publicity from Microsoft), we're very happy and relieved to see the OS finally on the market. After such a long period of delays, we were beginning to worry that we would never see the finalized product. Finally though - it's here and it delivers.
