Would it be dumb for me to buy a 32-bit processor now? - Page 2

For these, I expect that 32-bit will be supported for a long time, and the 64 bit versions won't bring up much improvement.

For engineering, math apps, 64bit will arrive very soon, and will elicit much higher performance from the 64 bit capable machines.

Gaming will be another area that will benefit greatly from 64-bit development environment for the game makers.

I don't want to start a flame war here, but personally, feel that Dell isn't the place to get the best notebooks.

That said, there is no question that the XPS2 is the leader in its price and weight range. (Yeah, Dell !)

I would say, that to go with a good company with good reputation, such as ASUS, ACER, or Fujitsu, some of the high end HP stuff might also be quite good. You might plan somewhere between 1500 - 2200 in price range, depending on which processor you want to get.

To get a machine with 3200+ right now is actually economical. But to get one with 3700+ or especially S939 4000+ right now or in the near future is quite a premium to pay, but only brings 15-25% performance increase.

If you just game occassionally, but is not a hardcore gamer, then you might acutallly want to consider getting a Gateway 7426GX from BestBuy, which is 1500USD regular price, and cheaper when on sale, with a 3700+, and definitely get the extended warranty. The graphics leaves a little wanting, MR9550, but is still decent for an occassional game. The only thing is that they only offer XP Home, but you can always add XP Pro later yourself. I have been very happy with its predecessor, the 7405GX, with 3200+ , and I study Computational Linguistics in a graduate program; it's plenty fast for compiling GCC or interpreting Python codes, and running live acoustic segmentation and analysis. Although it is not a gaming machine, but I have played UT 2004 with settings turned down to medium.

hope it helps

To be honest, I think that a 32-bit system is future-proof enough for 2-3 years, particularly since you're buying a laptop. You may end up needing a 64-bit computer, but you can always get a home computer that's 64-bit compatible. The odds are very good that they're not going to dump 32-bit programs immediately, even in math/science apps. At the very least, you'll probably be able to buy 32-bit versions of almost all software for a year and a half. After that, it may be only select programs or even none.

Have you even looked at the Sager 4750??

http://www.pctorque.com/4750.php

I agree with the suggestion to hold off till mid-summer. The Turions will be worth a close look.

The battery life of my 7405GX started off at about 3:10, and now is down to about 2:30 after a few months of heavy usage; so it's not that bad. But getting the BB service plan means that you get free battery replacement, and will go a long way if your plan is to use it detatched.

Hazridi your reasoning is sound. However 64 bit can be used for more than just addressing more memory and is already proven to offer performance advantages other then what is enabled by adding more memory.

But this isn't really the important question. What you should ask your self is:
Has Microsoft put money into Windows 64 bit and it's development/marketing/pushing it?

Does Microsoft want Windows 64 bit to be an economical success?

Does Microsoft need 64 bit to sell good in order for it to be an economical success?

What you don't need to ask is if Microsoft will ensure this to happen. Expect program versions and addons wich will be 64 bit enabled only, like "features only availbable for those running 64 bit compatible systems" or "features only supported in 64 bit mode" and alike. It doesn't need to make sence, is all I'm saying, for you to want 64 bit... We are talking microsoft here!!! Did you ever want everything that comes with Windows OS to play your games? And what was your choice...?

What M$ wants M$ gets. Atleast for the last 30 years...

In short, if you are at all worried about 64 bit and battery life at the same time. Wait for Turion 64, and you will have both. Especially with the 25W version and a good chipset. It will also have SSE3 wich I don't think P-M has. And also better performance, if that means anything for you.

Gateway site actually doesn't sell it directly, but this model is sold at retail stores only. (BB might have exclusive rights, but I'm not sure)

Just take a look here:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1109938021195

It's the same chassis, with a different LCD and LCD casing (X-brite), with a different and faster dual layer DVD+/-RW, with faster proc, more RAM, a slightly different Video card, and perhaps different Wireless and Modem.

The mobo and chipset should be identical, as far as I know.

If there's one thing I know about PC's, it's that technology takes a long time to phase out. I wouldn't worry about 32-bit apps being obsolete for a while. There's a massive 32-bit user base that neither Microsoft or the CPU makers can afford to just abandon. Look how long XP is taking to grab market share--and it's not because of Mac or Linux.

http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_stats.asp