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64-bits to freedom

Greg Dewar
The Commuter

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

This weekend I decided to finally make the switch to a 64-bit OS(operating system). The impetus has been there for awhile. I had more than 4 GB of RAM in my computer, the maximum amount a 32-bit OS can address, but I rarely ever even approached that benchmark in terms of memory usage. It wasn’t until I acquired GTA IV (Grand Theft Auto IV) for the PC, a terribly ported Game for Windows Live hog-beast that proceeded to sap up almost all my RAM. This coupled with the fact that Lord of the Rings Online has issues fully processing Direct X 10 textures on a 32-bit OS prompted me to upgrade.

64-bit has existed since 1961 in Supercomputers and servers soon followed. However, in the personal computer market, 32-bit computing remained king. For now, it still is.

The stigma behind 64-bit is terrible. Personal computer processors capable of handling it cropped up in 2003, thanks to AMD (Advanced Micro Devices). In 2004 Intel admitted that it was working on 64-bit personal computer processors as well. Many people bought them in the zeal of new technology. And 64-bit versions of Linux distributions cropped up to carry the technology, but where were the mainstream OS’s? Of course, by mainstream I mean Windows, and to a much lesser extent Macintosh OSX (some versions of which are already 64-bit).

At first glance, using a 64-bit os doesn’t really feel any different. I was able to get 64-bit versions of all of my drivers with ease. I haven’t noticed a boost in performance, because I can’t seem to find any 64-bit applications that I need. I can find some- but I’ll have to create uses for them.

The biggest driver behind this new home computing phenomenon is the ability to address 4 GB or more of RAM. As home computing advances and programs require more and more RAM, 64-bit computing will take off. The ability to address up to 16-exabytes of RAM will keep us going for a very long time. That’s a lot of bytes. I don’t even want to do the math on that.

It’s been proven that encryption algorithms run 3-5 times faster on 64-bit processors, but, for the most part, most end-user home applications don’t see much of a benefit with a 64-bit processor unless they’re specifically coded for it. It’s almost as if the world is afraid to change; afraid to embrace the new generation. It’s been years and there’s a dearth of 64-bit apps for end-users. I have enough RAM to embrace it. I have the CPU to embrace it. In fact, a lot of people have processors with 64-bit extensions. So let’s see it. Let’s do it. Let’s all get 1.21 giga watts of RAM and encrypt things to high heaven.

Or, we can wait patiently as the 64-bit revolution finally comes to pass when people need to address the RAM. Once it’s here, though, it’ll be here to stay. 16-exabytes.

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