Question on 64bit Windows XP

[aetherh4cker]

I'm building a new PC (my first build), and I was wondering about the 64bit Windows XP. I'm trying to make sure all my parts have 64bit drivers, but I'm not quite sure which parts need to have 64bit drivers! What should I look for in making sure my computer will be completily compatible? Also, I've heard some software doesn't work on 64bit windows, is there any popular ones I should be aware of that won't work? Anything else I need to know?

Also, one more thing. I'm considering switching to a dual core processor ( AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 1GHz FSB 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Dual Core Processor, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103546 ), and I have some questions. I haven't heard too much on Dual Core, is there anything special I need to look for in compatibility... or should that one be just as compatible as the one I have listed below? Is it worth the extra money? I want this machine primarily for gaming.


Case:
COOLER MASTER Praetorian 730 RC-730-KSN1 Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119085 $149.00

Power Supply:
Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, TUV, CB, FCC CLASS B, CUL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817103931 $89.99

Processor:
AMD Athlon 64 4000+ San Diego 1GHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103529 $334.00

Motherboard:
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136152 $132.00

Memory:
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145574 $239.99

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE WD2500JS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144417 $99.75

Graphics Card:
eVGA 256-P2-N517-AX Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130249 $319.00

Sound Card:
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 8 (7.1) Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102188 $121.99

Speakers:
Creative Inspire P7800 90 Watts 7.1 Speaker
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16836116153 $86.00

CD/DVD Drive:
ASUS Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E616A BLACK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827135136 $24.99

CD/DVD Burner:
NEC Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058 $38.99

Floppy Drive:
MITSUMI Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal 8 in 1 Floppy Drive Model FA404A/404M BLK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821104104 $21.99

 

[Shocker]

Most here would say that XP 64 bit is not up to par yet. Crashing, driver problems, etc. Just use regular XP Pro, it'll do the job for quite some time to come.

 

[Nitestick]

i agree, don't waste money on the 64 bite edition, don't even waste a cd-r on it. the x2 4400+ is a good choice, the toledo core x2 performs very nicely (so does the Manchester i can vouch for that). the 4400+ will run any game you can throw it beautifully even off of a single core.

 

[Beyeohazard]

Everything I hear on XP 64 has focused on it's short-comings. But, this is to be expected because it's still in it's infancy. And until a stable 64bit OS is offered, everything else is pretty much just a marketing ploy.
There really isn't that much software or hardware optimized for 64 bit computing yet. This will change as 64 bit OS's stabilize and companies begin making products that take advantage of it.
Good luck on your build, let us know how things go.