The
innards of the humble personal computer are getting one of the most
significant upgrades in nearly two decades, but you probably don't know
about it and might not notice any difference for years to come.
The
change is to 64-bit computing. Nearly all computers sold in the past
couple of years have 64-bit chips in them, replacing older 32-bit
processors, but only now are a significant number of systems including
software that will take advantage of the new chips.
The makeover
allows computers to tap into an exponentially greater amount of memory
than older machines and potentially to run more programs faster. That's
important if you edit video or work with uncompressed digital
photographs or other large files. It also can be important for gamers
who want to fully access the memory capacity built into their graphics
cards. But with few consumers exploiting the capabilities of their
current computers, most haven't noticed the change.
"The average
consumer will not see a lot of benefit in the short term," said
Microsoft's Gary Schare, who works with makers of consumer PCs. "What
they're really getting is a future-proof system."
The number of
bits ascribed to a chip determines how much data the processor can
handle at any one time. The more bits, the more data.
The number
of bits also determines how much memory the chip can utilize. A 32-bit
chip can typically use no more than 4 gigabytes of memory, while a
64-bit chip can
theoretically recognize 17 billion gigabytes of memory. Despite The last big shift — the AMD introduced the first That's starting change. More If Typically, Windows Apple's Macintosh computers use the same 64-bit chips PC users who Consumers "A lot of things we like to do today are memory-intensive," Taylor said. So far, though, few consumers seem aware of the advantages of a 64-bit system. San "You've literally got a rookie here," he said, noting this was the first time he'd bought a PC for himself. Analysts "I don't think most users feel constrained by Benefits aside, there can be some drawbacks in moving to a 64-bit system. Some Also, many older peripherals That said, the "Sixty-four-bit Source : http://www.mercurynews.com/
the benefits, the computer industry has bumped up the number of bits in
PC processors infrequently. In part, that's because there hasn't been a
need. Also, the move to larger bit processors requires a massive effort
by the industry to rewrite operating systems, applications and hardware
drivers to fully harness the new chips.
move from 16-bit to 32-bit computing in the late 1980s to early '90s —
paved the way for today's multi-tasking and graphically rich computers.
But it took nearly 10 years to complete.
widely used 64-bit PC processors in 2003 and since then, those chips
have come to dominate the industry. But few computers have had the
software necessary to take advantage of the 64-bit chips.
than 22 percent of all the PCs sold in the U.S. last month that had
Windows Vista installed were running the 64-bit version of the
software, according to Microsoft. And about 40 percent of the PCs for
sale at Best Buy these days come with 64-bit Windows Vista.
you're out shopping for a PC this holiday season, you may notice this
change. Some retailers are highlighting the inclusion of the "64-bit"
edition of Windows Vista on particular PCs. Others are taking a more
subtle approach, touting PCs with 4 gigabytes or more memory; such
machines will typically include 64-bit Windows Vista because the
regular edition can't access that much memory.
consumers won't pay a premium just for the 64-bit version of the
operating system. For now, the software mostly comes on higher-end
systems.
that run in Windows machines, and the Macintosh operating system has
been tweaked to utilize them. But the only Macs so far that take
advantage of the extra memory capabilities of the chips are the
company's high-end Mac Pros and Xserve servers.
multi-task could also see a benefit because 64-bit Windows can allocate
more memory to more programs at the same time, making it easier and
quicker for users to switch back and forth between them.
will increasingly appreciate those benefits, said John Taylor, a
spokesman for AMD, which pioneered the 64-bit PC chip market with its
Athlon processors.
Jose resident Dave Wright, who was shopping for a computer at Best Buy
last week, had heard the term "64 bits," but wasn't aware of what it
meant or why he should care about it.
say there's little reason why consumers like Wright should care about
64-bit computers right now because the average consumer doesn't fully
utilize the current capacities of their PCs. General Web surfing, word
processing and e-mailing don't require all that much processor power or
memory capacity.
32-bit systems," said Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint
Technologies, a technology industry market research firm.
software won't work on a 64-bit system. Certain older programs just
aren't compatible. And some programs closely integrated into the
operating system, such as anti-virus software, need to run in the same
bit flavor as the operating system.
like printers and scanners that worked fine with a Windows XP computer
may be unusable with a 64-bit Windows Vista one.
industry is pushing 64-bit computing and PC buyers will most likely
soon have little choice but to get a 64-bit system, analysts note.
emerged as a marketing vehicle for (PC manufacturers)," said Al Gillen,
a software analyst with IDC, an industry research firm. "At some level,
people are being sold a car that can do 200 miles per hour, when most
of the time they're doing 45 miles per hour in traffic."
