What's required to take advantage of a 64-bit or dual core CPU?

[adwin]

To reply to the original POST and correcting some info about the Farcry64...
As stated earlier, 32Bit OS will run on both 64bit and 32bit apps (Via an emulation layer)

In windows, it is called WOW (Windows32 on Windows64).
In linux distributions, it is a matter of creating a 32bit chroot in your 64bit environment, or just installing the proper emulation layer and libraries.
The reason a 32bit OS will not be able to run 64bit apps is that it cannot access the additional 32 registers. It sees only the first 32.
SOME apps (refering to your FarCry64) are able to run in a pseudo-64bit mode by combining registers and thus running in a higher mode than they really are. But it is not native mode. It's just kindof, cheating, without really cheating.
So technically, you can even make 128bit registers and run in 128bit.
;]

Also, dual-core are really a 2-in-1 CPU. Like, instead of having 2 sockets and an expensive motherboard, you just need a dual-core cpu an a single socket motherboard with supports such cpus in order to achieve a near-dual cpu environment.

As for applications, as well as the OS, HAVE to be optimised for running in a multithreaded mode.
Windows XP Home Ed. for example doesn't support multithreading.
Multithreading is the ability to run multiple threads (processes if you like) simultaneously on several processing units.
So, even if you HAVE got a multithreaded environment (CPUs + OS (WinXP PRO, 2003, 2000 server, all linux distros providing you have an smp kernel compiled)), the application must also be compiled in order to take advantage of such optimizations


But what for anyway...
Hope that cleared up some of your questions.

 

[Toasty]

So Windows XP Home Edition won't be able to split processes or threads between the two cores? :huh:

 

[jdsony]

Windows XP Pro can but home has limitations which is why it's cheaper. I'm not sure all the limitations but it can't connect to a domain, can't do multithreading and I'm not sure what else.

 

[Clements]

XP Home supports hyperthreading but not symmetric multiprocessing. Here are the differences according to:

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Windows-XP-Home

These are prominent differences between the two editions:

* Windows XP Home Edition cannot become part of a Windows Server domain, a group of computers which are remotely managed by one or more central servers. Most businesses that use Windows have a Windows Server and a domain.

* Windows XP Home Edition uses by default a simplified access control scheme which doesn't allow specific permissions on files to be granted to specific users under normal circumstances. This can be accomplished while the operating system is in safe mode, a troubleshooting feature of Windows.

These features are present in Windows XP Professional but absent in Windows XP Home Edition:

* Remote Desktop, software which lets users control a PC over the Internet.

* Offline Files and Folders allows a PC to automatically store a copy of files from another networked computer and work with these files while disconnected from the network.

* Encrypting File System encrypts files stored on the computer's hard drive so they cannot be read by another user.

* Symmetric multiprocessing, the ability to divide work between multiple processors (CPUs). Windows XP Professional supports up to two CPUs. Windows XP Home Edition does however support the Hyperthreading functionality present on some Intel microprocessors.

* Centralized administration features, including Group Policies, Automatic Software Installation and Maintenance, Roaming User Profiles, and Remote Installation Service (RIS).

 

[Toasty]

Well, from the looks of things on eBay, all the 64-bit copies of Windows XP are Pro, so I guess I'll be okay, since I was going to buy a 64-bit copy of Windows anyway. Thanks a lot for all the help!

 

[Doomulation]

That sucks to be true...
They've removed some usefulness from the home edition. Blast it microsoft =)