.gif) Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition is designed to meet the
demands of customers who require large amounts of
memory and floating point performance in areas
such as mechanical design and analysis, 3-D
animation, video editing and composition, and
scientific and high-performance computing
applications.
Performance benefits for
specialized, technical applications
The
performance of 64-bit computing offers advantages
in fields such as automobile or airplane design,
by allowing engineers to create larger, more
complex models. With such systems, engineers can
use simulation software to analyse the effects of
airflow, stress, and heat on materials of a car or
plane, and then study the results to improve
product design. Likewise, 64-bit computing is a
benefit for digital content creators, including
3-D animators, digital artists, and game
developers who can significantly reduce the time
spent to digitally render three-dimensional
models. In the areas of scientific and high
performance computing, Windows XP Professional x64
Edition will aid in oil and gas exploration,
seismic analysis, computational fluid dynamics and
scientific visualization, among other
applications.
Very large memory support,
familiar Windows desktop
Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition runs on the AMD Athlon
64, AMD Opteron, Intel Xeon with EM64T, and Intel
Pentium 4 with EM64T as the platform for customers
who are reaching the memory limits of 32-bit
systems. The key difference between 32-bit and
64-bit Windows XP-based computing lies in the
64-bit version’s ability to use much more system
memory. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
initially supports up to 128 gigabytes (GB) of RAM
and up to 16 terabytes of virtual memory. Physical
memory support will grow in the future as hardware
capabilities expand. Data in memory is accessed
thousands of times faster than it is on a disk
drive, offering a tremendous performance benefit
for applications that are developed to use this
greater system memory.
Single desktop for
technical and business applications
Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition provides a single desktop
for technical and business applications,
eliminating the need for technical workstation
users to maintain a PC for business applications
and a separate workstation for high-end technical
applications. Most Windows-compatible 32-bit
applications run "as is" in a subsystem of Windows
XP Professional x64 Edition with comparable
performance to 32-bit Windows. Workstation users
can take advantage of rich integration
capabilities and productivity tools on the Windows
platform. Designers can build a model and easily
share it with others in the company, copying it in
to a Word document for the finance group or adding
it to a PowerPoint slide deck for the marketing
team. If you use only 32-bit applications and work
with data sets not larger than 2 GB, you will find
that 32-bit, Windows XP Professional is the best
desktop system for your applications.
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
systems can be added to existing Windows-based
networks and managed alongside 32-bit systems with
the same administrative tools, making life easier
for the IT department. Overhead costs for
maintaining and administering two systems are
reduced.
Increased reliability and
security on the desktop
Built on the Windows
Server 2003 SP1 code-base, Windows XP Professional
x64 provides increased reliability for business
critical desktop computing. Users can now
experience the stability and security of a server
product on their PC.
Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition also includes the
security features of Windows XP Service Pack 2
(SP2) providing better protection against viruses,
hackers, and worms, and includes Windows Firewall,
Pop-up Blocker for Internet Explorer, and the new
Windows Security Centre. With Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition, users can confidently
run their most mission critical applications with
increased reliability, security, and performance.
Best platform for new generation of
applications
Developers with 32-bit Windows
skills will be comfortable and productive creating
the next generation of application for Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition. Developers will find the
development environment virtually identical to the
development environment for 32-bit Windows; the
Microsoft Win64™ application programming interface
(API) is the same as the Microsoft Win32® API. The
existing APIs have been modified where necessary
to allow them to reflect the precision of the
platform on which they are running. The result is
programming simplicity and a short learning curve
for the developer—writing code for 64-bit Windows
is just like writing code for 32-bit Windows.
The 64-bit Windows development environment
supports the same feature set as 32-bit Windows,
including UI and programming models, networking,
security, graphics, multimedia, directory service,
Plug and Play, and tools features. Many of the
functions have been modified to reflect the
computational precision of the platform on which
an application is run.
Other Information
System
Requirements
Important: Windows XP
Professional x64 Edition cannot be successfully
installed on x86 (32-bit) systems or 64-bit Intel
Itanium–based systems. 32-bit device drivers are
not supported on Windows XP Professional x64
Edition.
Computer with a supported processor: AMD
Athlon 64, AMD Opteron, Intel Xeon with Intel
EM64T support, Intel Pentium 4 with Intel EM64T
support
256 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher
recommended
1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard-disk
space (additional space may be required if
installing over a network)
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution
video adapter and monitor
Keyboard, Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft
IntelliMouse, or compatible pointing device
Additional items or services required to
use certain Windows XP features:
28.8-Kbps modem or fax modem and service
provider required for Internet access (service
provider may charge a fee)
Sound requires a sound card and speakers (USB
speakers require a computer with USB support) or
headphones
Remote Assistance requires that both parties
be running Windows XP and be connected over a
network
Remote Desktop requires a computer running
Windows 95 or later and the two computers must be
connected over a network
DVD video playback requires a DVD drive and
DVD decoder card or DVD decoder software and 8 MB
of video RAM
Windows Movie Maker video capture feature
requires an appropriate digital or analogue video
capture device and 400-MHz or faster processor for
digital video camera
capture
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