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 - A must-have if you have over 3 gigs of RAM!I recently bought a system that has 4 gigs of RAM and tried to run XP 32-bit on it, but Windows only "saw" 2.5 gigs. The BIOS saw the 4 gigs without a problem, so I did my research, and found that getting a 32 bit OS to recognize 3+ gigs is somewhere between a root canal (with no anesthetic) and self-amputation with a spork. I had a license for XP64, so I installed it. It installed with no issue, and ran through the usual Windows update sessions with no problem at all. There are some driver issues, and if you're using a TV tuner card like I was in my old machine, save yourself the headache. It's not going to happen. I got my sound card running in no time (Audigy2 Platinum Pro), Avast! Anti-virus installed with no issue, and my rig is up to 100%, showing 4 gigs of RAM, SLI running smooth, and overall a much better eXPerience (see what I did there????) Do your homework, and realize that 64-bit computing is a newer technology, and will have a shakedown period before it's ready for prime-time, but overall, I'm very happy with my XP64 machine, and would recommend that others get it as well if you have the chip, RAM, and don't need Microsoft holding your hand after it's installed. Rating:  - Regular Software Systemit is a new operating system and versatile that maximizes the yield of the new processors x64 bits, the bad thing is that most of software they do not have compatibility with, buys a Norton which I could not install due to not being compatible with this platform Rating: - 64-bit computing not for the faint of heart.I recently bought an AMD dual-core processor that uses a 64-bit architecture, and wanted to enjoy the full benefits of that. In addition to loading Linux, I also purchased a copy of Windows XP Professional 64, the 64-bit version of the OS. First impressions are that I have a slightly different default desktop wallpaper, but nothing else seems radically divergent from the 32-bit UI. It sees the 2Gb correctly, as expected, and I'm curious to see what it'll show when the other stick of RAM are installed to bring it to 6Gb. I haven't loaded most of the usual bloat, restricting this machine's use to games and some development tasks I'll bring from work. I might run Office, I might not, but I want to offer some words of advice to potential buyers. One, good luck finding a 64-bit firewall. As of 22-May-2007, only Ghost Wall works under XP64. Zone Labs (now Checkpoint) has no plans to build one in the near future, Sunbelt's Kerio product is not slated for a 64-bit release either (choosing, like ZoneLabs, to focus on Vista), and Tiny Software (now CA) didn't have a 64-bit version either. So, you can use the stock firewall or Ghost Wall, or roll up your sleeves and build a Linksys router with firewalling capabilities. Better news from antivirus vendors, though: Alwil's Avast product does work fine under XP64. Since I'm long-removed from running Norton or McAfee at home, I strongly suggest doing your homework before adopting XP64 if you have current licenses of those products. You might be out of luck. Avast is very good, so you aren't losing anything by switching. The OS runs well, I don't have any crashing or lockups but I haven't really attempted to blue-screen it yet either. I really like the fast boot times and quick response, and while I might be running Linux a bit more on this box for non-gaming purposes, I still like having an MS OS available for helping out friends and family with their MS problems. Worth buying? Yes, but only if you have a 64-bit CPU and you don't mind searching for native 64-bit apps and utilities. -Fred
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