Rent Our Geeks allows residents and businesses to utilize one of the many company's Geeks to assist with everything from computer help to setting up home theater systems.

     We have decided each month to take the time to inform our newsletter group to the newest technologies and the pros and cons to them.  This month, in light of the new Windows XP Professional 64 bit operating system, we will be informing you about what you need and what it does.

     Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, as it is called, uses a 64-bit processor.  Previous processors were all 32-bit, meaning that all of the CPUs used 32 pipelines to carry information.  Using 64 pipelines allows the processor to handle twice the information than before.  So, for example, a 64-bit CPU running at 2.4 GHz will run twice as fast as a 32-bit CPU running at the same speed.

     There is a catch, however.  Only certain processors can support this new operating system.  According to Microsoft.com, only AMD Athlon 64, AMD Opteron, Intel Xeon with Intel EM64T support, and Intel Pentium 4 with Intel EM64T support, can be used with the new operating system.

     AMD Athlon 64 and AMD Opteron CPUs come in many variations.  Included are AMD Athlon 64, 64 FX, and 64 X2.  The Opteron is mostly used in servers and some desktops.  They generally run cheaper, but carry a lower GHz rating.

     The more popular company of the two, Intel, so far only a handful of processors that can handle this operating system.  Basically any chip that has EM64T technology built into it.  To find this out you must read the specifications on the box.  Only 10 Pentium 4 chips and a few Xeon chips are made so far.  Another disadvantage is that the chip itself is more costly than the AMD brands.  They do, however run a bit faster.

     Aside from the processors, you have to have 256 MB of RAM, 1.5 GB of Hard drive space, and a cd-rom drive to install Windows.  As far as the operating system goes, it looks and runs almost exactly the same as the 32-bit version, only faster.  However, many drivers were written in 32-bit code.  Many companies have adapted to the new operating system, but there are still many to go, including anti-virus programs.

     So in closing, it is just good practice to wait for another 6 months or so before you buy this software.  And before you install the new version of Windows, make sure that your drivers are supported and your software as well.  Very soon, many software companies will be writing programs to keep up with times.

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