Sure and Sun had them before Intel, but don't try running 32 and 64 bit windows apps on a Sparc Station. Intel's 64 bit Itanium is not really a desktop chip. Too expensive, not (really) compatible with 32 bit x86 code. Requires a major overhaul to get old x86 apps to work.
the real benefit to going 64 bit is on the server end anyway. They will need to invent some new jee whiz killer app to make 64 bit on the desktop worth while.
As far as the average office user working in a word processing/internet use mode, that might not have been a bad thing. A P3, 800MHz unit would easily handle those tasks!
Trading system vendors won't be rushing to create 64 bit software that could used with 64 bit processors. IMO there's no rush to go out a by a 64 bit processor system.
Of course they won't be. It took *years* for software to be recompiled for from 16 bit to 32 bit x86. And Intel initiated that change. Nonetheless, 64 bit is so obviously better than 32 bit (and by their own roadmap the wave of the future) that Intel has a real dilema on it's hands.
It took at least a year before many software venders made the switch over to 32-bit software when Intel first introduced the Pentium line. And FWIW many of the trading software vendors have not yet written code to take advantage of having an additional processor. I have heard that Realtick software will take advantage of a second processor though.
The programmer cost to rewrite code for 64 bits is almost nothing. The driving force will be demand from customers making the request. nitro
I'd like to use 2CPU PC with Tradestation. Who has it on 2CPU-PC (TS6,TS7 or ProSuite), pls Make this test-optimize on your PC: Optimize: Opt1 from 1 to 50. BarNumber on Chart = 10000 (+, - 1%) Signal: Inputs: Opt1(1); For Value0=1 to 5000 Begin Value1= Opt1 + XAverage((H+L+C)/3,40); end; If BarNumber = 1000 then Buy 1 contract at close; If BarNumber = 2000 then Exitlong; If LastBarOnChart then Print(BarNumber); Others result on 1CPU PC: OS,CPU,BUS,RAM,Time-of-optimize Win2k, P4-2400, 512M, PC-133, 6:15 min XP,P4-2.26 ,512M, 5:30 min Win2000sp2,AMD Athlon(tm)XP 1600+,261ram, 8:48 min It's very interesing your results