roman
Wed Sep 28 07:16:27 CDT 2005
Hello, dr.evil!
"dr.evil" <drevil@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:22BF1526-14CF-4684-AED2-B75B3A64F318@microsoft.com...
> We have a small home office with 3 networked computers, but we can not
> afford
> to lose our data.
> My own new unit is a 64 bit capable AMD.
> I bought a brand new separate HD to make sure I can do a successful 64 bit
> XP installation on it before committing to it.
> My question is: "Should I bother"?
http://www.itmanagersjournal.com/article.pl?sid=05/09/21/1926202
[quote]
To better understand the 64-bit advantage, imagine that your processor is a
donkey that you use for carrying loads. One donkey can carry 32 pounds for
50 feet at 5 miles per hour. A second donkey can carry 64 pounds for 50 feet
at 5 miles per hour. With either animal, you get to your destination at the
same time, but the second donkey can carry more over the same distance at
the same rate of speed. The caveat is, if you never have loads above 32
pounds, the second donkey won't be any more useful than the first. So if
you're only moving 20 pounds of straw, neither donkey provides an advantage.
If, however, you're moving 10 tons of brick to a new location, the second
donkey will allow you to get the job done in half the time.
To translate this back into computer terms, if you aren't dealing with large
chunks of data -- high definition video or audio, databases, or complex
mathematical calculations (this can mean outright equation solving or
rendering of 3D models) -- a 64-bit environment won't do you much good
because the processor isn't able to use its full potential. In other words,
getting email, browsing the Web, creating documents, listening to music,
watching movies, or entering data are all activities that won't see any
advantage with a 64-bit environment.
[/quote]
So, now you probably know the answer ;)
Cheers, Roman