I finally took some time last week to install Windows XP 64bit on my PC and give it a well deserved run on my 64bit AMD CPU, why not? Everything went exceptionally well and was very user-friendly, upon completing the installation process of the Windows XP 64bit version of Microsoft's genius engineering, I almost felt like I could see the difference in speed when set next to a PC running Windows XP 32bit. Maneuvering the system in real world testing, I began exploring for any noticeable differences,, which I'm happy to say on a default installation I barely found any differences.

Next I decided to test the operating system's application compatibilities. Unfortunately I was unable to run near 60% of my everyday programs without downloading the 64bit version of the program, that was a bit of a let down as I only found 1/3rd of those programs in the 64bit even though its 2010 now.

It really feels like Microsoft started off with a brilliant operating system and everything else is failing to see this. Unfortunately not being able to run certain programs simply because I wasn't running Windows XP in the 32bit version was a real let down for me personally, your mileage may vary (slightly).

Windows XP Pro 64bit has the performance of a champ running on my AMD Athlon 3800+ (yes 1x cpu). My programs that were 64bit enabled were quite responsive compared to running in a 32bit environment. It definitely feels more like an average PC user's operating system still at this point in time, it just doesn't seem to get the edge over good old Windows XP 32bit.

In the end, If you are still like me and using Windows XP 32bit and thought of making the plunge into 64bit land my recommendations are, not unless you have specific recommendations for the software you want to run, or in other words, not unless you have a specific desire for the performance boost but not to much compatibility for your programs. Its a great operating system, if you need it.