[GRLUG] 64bit Linux

[Collin Kidder]

> Just for discussion's sake,  where would
> one expect a 64-bit CPU to shine on a
> PC other than the place you mention, and
> maybe games.   In a more expensive
> machine, like a server,  one could imagine
> taking advantage of wider buses on a
> 64-bit CPU,  which would affect performance
> significantly.  But other than bus bandwidth,
> and the computations you mention,  and
> use in games,  with appropriate performance
> video cards,  where else would one expect
> the 64-bit architecture to matter on a typical
> desktop?  I'd guess hardware capable of
> taking advantage of buses that are 64-bits
> wide throughout the machine is going to be
> pricey.   As in a server.
>
>      -Bob
Actually... The system bus on everything from pentium on up is 64 bit. 
The big reasons to go true 64 bit processor mode are to get a lot more 
ram addressing, more registers, and the potential speedup of having 
larger native register sizes. But the machine itself always runs in 64 
bit wide buses. Heck, video cards have 128 or 256 bit wide buses.