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The
new 64-bit processors are called Itanium. New
processors coming soon from Advanced Micro Devices
and Apple suggest 64-bit computing will make its
way to a desktop near you this year. But what
does that really mean for you?
Let's put it this way: If you think today's computers
are fast, wait until they make the leap from 32
bits to 64 bits. This isn't about more megahertz--it's
about actually doubling the amount of data a CPU
can process per clock cycle. Servers and high-end
workstation have been reaping the technology's
benefits for years.
It's true a 64-bit desktop computer won't make
your word processing program run faster (sorry,
you're the bottleneck in that equation). But a
64-bit chip has the power to dramatically improve
the performance of your more demanding applications,
such as audio and video encoding, complex engineering
programs like CAD, and--of course--games. And
in the long term, 64-bit computing will give programmers
much more power to play with, and could revolutionize
what desktop software can do.
The
Skinny on 64
The amount of data a chip can process at once
is a fundamental difference between today's 32-bit
desktop processors--like Intel's Pentium 4, AMD's
Athlon XP, and Apple's Motorola-made G4--and future
64-bit desktop CPUs, says Kevin Krewell, senior
editor at Microprocessor Report. In the 64-bit
camp are Apple's pending IBM-made G5 and AMD's
upcoming Athlon 64.
The 64-bit CPUs can handle more memory and larger
files. "The advantage of 64 bits is it gives you
a larger address space, which means it lets you
address more memory," Krewell says. Today's 32-bit
Intel and AMD chips can address up to 4GB of memory
(an Apple G4 unit can address 2GB). In Windows-based
machines, that 4GB is split between the operating
system and the applications. That means the most
memory any given application can access is 2GB.
"That limit is not a big deal now, but it could
be down the road--particularly in video-editing
applications and the like," he adds.
A 64-bit processor, on the other hand, can address
up to 16 exabytes of memory (that's over 16 billion
gigabytes).
Apple's new G5 machines will support up to 8GB
of physical memory (twice as much as today's 32-bit
systems), which should be plenty to keep the CPU
busy without resorting to the slower virtual memory
on a hard drive, says Greg Joswiak, vice president
of hardware product marketing at Apple.
"Pulling that first bit out of memory is 60,000
times faster than pulling it from a hard drive,"
Joswiak says.
AMD says its new Athlon 64 processor will support
up to one terabyte of physical memory and up to
256 terabytes of virtual memory. That said, the
first Athlon 64 motherboards will likely offer
4 DIMM slots. With 2GB DIMMS available, the first
systems could hold as much as 8GB of physical
memory (although the memory cost would be significantly
higher than the system itself).
Games,
Video First for Boost
Game makers--traditionally among the first to
make use of new technology--see clear advantages
to 64-bit computing.
That extra speed will let programmers add remarkable
detail to their software, says Tim Sweeney, founder
and lead programmer at Epic Games, maker of the
popular Unreal game franchise.
"You'll see better textures, more realistic sounds,
and larger and more realistic environments," Sweeney
adds.
Plus, the characters themselves will be rendered
with dramatically more detail. You'll see more
realistic representation of features such as hair,
skin, and eyes. And the computer-run characters
will have more realistic artificial intelligence,
he says.
Epic has already updated Unreal 2003 for use on
a 64-bit system, Sweeney says. The program will
be ready to go as soon as a compatible 64-bit
OS arrives. The company, which typically spends
about two years creating each of its new games,
is already working on its first fully 64-bit game,
which is scheduled to hit store shelves in 2005.
Video encoding will also improve in a 64-bit world,
says Tom Huntington, corporate communications
manager at DivX. The company's DivX codec compresses
DVD-quality video up to ten times more than the
MPEG2 standard, making it easier to transmit over
the Internet.
A 64-bit processor will improve both the encoding
and decoding of video, he says. Better still,
when you view a video file on a 64-bit desktop,
you'll see "a noticeable difference in speed,"
he says, resulting in more frames per second and
a more film-like playback.
Eventually the benefit will go far beyond speed,
says Rich Heye, vice president of AMD's microprocessor
business unit. The key to 64-bit computing is
that it will open up possibilities for creative
programmers in ways never before seen.
When
Do We Start?
Apple and AMD executives envision 64-bit desktop
computers on the scene pretty much now. Apple's
next-generation of hardware, based on the 64-bit-capable
G5 processor, begins shipping in August. AMD expects
to ship its first Athlon 64 desktop and notebook
processors as early as September (it's already
shipping a server version of the chip called Opteron).
But to take advantage of those 64-bit systems,
you'll need a 64-bit-capable desktop operating
system. That's where things get more complicated,
and the Apple and AMD/Microsoft camps part ways.
When Apple rolls out its new G5 products in August,
it will include an updated version of the current
32-bit OS X operating system code-named Jaguar,
Apple's Joswiak says. The updated OS will support
32-bit applications with the ability to make 64-bit
requests from the processor.
"The important thing for us [is] we didn't want
to create a separate OS that is 64 bits," Joswiak
says. "What is essential is that this OS and this
hardware will run 32-bit applications with no
recompiling--it will just run them." Apple hasn't
announced plans for a pure 64-bit operating system;
Panther, an updated 32-bit OS due out the end
of this year, will have Jaguar-like 64-bit support.
AMD's Athlon 64 processor will work like previous
Athlon chips under the current 32-bit Windows
XP, but the OS does not support the chip's 64-bit
capabilities. That waits until Microsoft ships
its as-yet-unnamed 64-bit version of Windows XP
for the Athlon 64, which is about to begin beta
testing. That OS will support both 32-bit and
64-bit applications; Microsoft has not said when
it will ship the OS, however.
Once Windows catches up, there's still the issue
of making today's PC hardware 64-bit ready. "The
biggest challenge is going to be the device drivers
in 64-bit mode," says Microprocessor Report's
Krewell. "You need all new drivers for all of
your key components [graphics cards, hard drives,
and the like]--all the stuff that the operating
system needs to work well," he says. "If you want
64 bits because you want performance, you can't
have a bunch of 32-bit drivers mucking things
up.
And then, finally, come the 64-bit-ready applications.
AMD's Heye admits the transition from 32 to 64
bits in everyday desktop applications won't happen
overnight. But he says by putting 64 bits into
its upcoming processors, AMD is preparing for
the future.
"Will it happen in 2004, or maybe 2005? It's hard
to say. It will migrate over time, and when it
does happen we'll be everywhere--in the backroom,
on the desktop, in the notebook--the works."
Whither
Intel?
Notably absent from all of this 64-bit desktop
discussion is Intel, the world's biggest processor
vendor.
While the company has devoted considerable time
and resources to developing its 64-bit Itanium
processor, now in its second generation, that
high-end product is geared largely toward servers.
In fact, Intel has not disclosed any plans for
a 64-bit desktop processor.
"Sixty-four bits is of great use in the back office,
for servers and databases," says Intel spokesperson
George Alfs. "The big iron has good use for 64-bits,"
he adds, but says the company isn't convinced
the technology yet has a place on the desktop.
"It's hard to peg an exact time for this transition,"
Alfs adds. "The infrastructure isn't here today,"
but, he notes, "we're keeping our options open."
Intel wants to keep 64-bit computing as a server
technology for the time being, so it can sell
more Itanium processors, Krewell says. It doesn't
want to sell the Itanium as a desktop processor.
Plus, there is a key difference between the Itanium
and the Apple and AMD chips. While the G5 and
Athlon 64 can run 32-bit applications natively,
the Itanium is a pure 64-bit chip that requires
slower software emulation to run 32-bit apps.
Rumors persist, however, that Intel has created
a 32- and 64-bit capable processor code-named
Yamhill that could ship should the 64-bit desktop
market heat up, Krewell says. If such a technology
exists, it could even be seeded into Intel's next-generation
desktop processor, code-named Prescott, which
is due this year. Intel's Alfs declines to comment
on the Yamhill rumors.
Epic's Sweeney agrees that Intel seems reluctant
to move to 64 bits on the desktop, but he says
the company is too savvy to let others get ahead
on this important technology.
"In the next two years, either Intel will ship
a 64-bit desktop chip or it will lose the majority
of its consumer and business market," Sweeney
says. "If I was in Intel's position, I would be
working...to get a 64-bit chip ready, but in the
meantime, I would be downplaying the importance
of 64 bits."
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