Do I Want To Go 64-bit?

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Recently I added 2 more gigs of RAM to my new PC, and totally forgot about the 4GB limit of Windows XP. So the end result is, while I may have 4GBs of RAM physically, only 3.25GB is visible in WinXP. No amount of fiddling around with BIOS and WinXP boot options “fixed” it. It is a limitation of normal, standard, 32-bit Windows XP.

So, I am now in a small dilemma – do I move on to Windows XP 64-bit?

And for those of you who are going to suggest Vista, save it. Not interested. I’ve always only upgraded my OS to the next version if, and only if, my games demanded it. Otherwise, I’ll just stay with the current version. Moving to Windows XP 64 bit is technically not “upgrading” to me. It’s just using a slightly different version of the same OS.

The only reservation I have right now about this move is that I might run into a game which may not work. However, AMD 64-bit CPUs have been out for awhile now, and I don’t really see gamers denouncing AMD or anything. So, I guess my fears may be unfounded.

In fact, I have been doing some “research”. I have been downloading all the 64-bit versions of everything that I can lay my hands on – graphic drivers, sound drivers, LAN drivers etc… all to prepare for the day (which may actually be today) that I do decide to reformat and install WinXP64.

The thing is, it’s hard to locate 64-bit versions for stuff like anti-virus, firewalls, etc which aren’t drivers, but equally important for the security and well-being of the PC. Well my primary concern is actually the anti-virus rather than the firewall. I’ve been using the one in the router and also the native WinXP one for so long, that I don’t really need something “better”.

So, I am still trying to decide if I should take the plunge…

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