Regardless of whether most consumers will benefit much from 64-bit computing, Microsoft, AMD, and Intel are pushing it as the next step in the evolution of PC computing. In addition to all of the x64 hype, WinHEC also yielded some interesting information regarding 64-bit drivers, Windows “Longhorn,” Samsung’s hybrid hard drives, and Shuttle’s Pentium M-based home theater PC.
Bill Gates’ keynote
WinHEC’s main attraction has always been Bill Gates’ keynote speech, which lays out what to expect from Microsoft in the near future. In addition to covering 64-bit computing, this year’s keynote also previewed Longhorn, Microsoft’s next major Windows release.
Gates started off the keynote by poking fun at himself, denying ever saying that “no one needs more than 640k of memory” back in his earlier years. From there, he went on to talk about 64-bit computing as the future and how support for up to 16TB of memory will last us a while, being careful not to say we will never need more than 16TB of memory. Gates also expects the transition to 64 bits to be a smooth and easy one, with performance improvements to follow.
According to Gates, simplifying how programs like email and calendar applications are accessed will be a key feature of future operating systems. Instead of having to boot into the operating system to display email or calendar information, future laptops, tablets, and mobile devices will have an auxiliary display that can access all that information without turning on the system. Microsoft is also working on a new mobile platform, dubbed Ultra Mobile 2007, that targets an $800-1000 price range. Ultra Mobile 2007 will be a pocketable touch screen-equipped device with camera, phone, and multimedia playback capabilities. It almost looks like a high-end smart phone.
Longhorn also had a big presence at WinHEC, and represents the first major revamp that Windows GUI has received since XP was launched. The operating system’s new graphics infrastructure has transparency and glass reflection effects that take advantage of pixel shaders and vector-based graphics. The new GUI will also support opaque windows and better application window sizing. The latter was demonstrated with the Windows calculator, which was scaled up in size without any loss in image quality. Microsoft says this feature will work with all applications and is part of the new graphics driver model.
Static icons will be a thing of the past with Longhorn. The OS will feature live icons that can preview and zoom into documents. Aside from these visual enhancements, Longhorn will also offer improved document searching and organizational tools.
As one might expect, Longhorn’s extra features and functionality will require a relatively modern system. Although official system requirements haven’t been published yet, Gates stated that the OS would require a “modern” CPU, at least 512MB of memory, and a graphics card compatible with the Longhorn display driver. Realistically, that translates to a Pentium 4 or Athlon-class processor with a DirectX 9-capable graphics card.
AMD was actively showing off its dual-core products at WinHEC, but it didn’t have much else on display. The company did, however, have a recent product placement map that showed the Athlon 64 X2 coexisting with the current model lineup, wedged between the Athlon 64 FX and Athlon 64. AMD wants to keep the Athlon 64 FX as a flagship product targeted at gamers seeking the best single-threaded performance.
Curiously, AMD’s Turion 64 was virtually absent from the show and occupied a mere two pages of the company’s 50-page presentation.
ATI
Speaking with ATI about Windows x64 brought somewhat disappointing news. Although ATI will be releasing Catalyst 64-bit drivers at the same time as 32-bit drivers, only R3xx and newer cards will be supported. ATI believes that those with older cards are less likely to have an x64-capable system, so they won’t be supported.
Aside from its 64-bit drivers, ATI also discussed Catalyst Control Center. CCC is being tweaked to lower memory usage, and will eventually replace the older driver control panel.
NVIDIA
NVIDIA didn’t have a booth this year, but we were able to meet with them to discuss x64 driver plans. Interestingly, 32- and 64-bit ForceWare drivers share 95% of their code, allowing NVIDIA’s x64 drivers to support graphics cards all the way down to the ancient TNT2. SLI users will have to wait a few months, though. Windows x64 SLI support for GeForce and Quadro products will arrive mid-summer in the ForceWare 75 drivers. Like ATI, NVIDIA expects its 64-bit drivers to be released at the same time as their 32-bit counterparts.
Samsung
Samsung was showing off its upcoming mobile hybrid hard drives, which combine NAND flash memory with standard rotating platters. The new hybrid hard drive is being designed for Longhorn in cooperation with Microsoft, and will apparently lower boot times for mobile devices. Currently in the prototype stage, demo drives have 128MB of OneNAND flash memory as a write and boot buffer with a claimed read speed of 100MB/s.
The Samsung drive uses a hybrid write mode that keeps the mechanical drive spun down while data is written to the OneNAND buffer. When the buffer is full, the drive spins up and the contents of the flash buffer are emptied onto the disk. Samsung says this design offers lower drive temperatures and power consumption, better resistance to shock or impact damage, and faster boot times. However, integrating OneNAND flash memory will cost extra. Samsung hopes the benefits will outweigh the drive’s higher price.
Although the technology is interesting, don’t expect hybrid disk drives to arrive before Longhorn. The drives are designed for Longhorn and require proper OS and driver support. Samsung didn’t comment on whether a desktop version of the drive is in the works, either.
Shuttle had a booth at the WinHEC hardware showcase, and the company’s upcoming home theater PC was on display.
The full retail system will be called the XPC M1000 and feature a Pentium M 740, dual analog TV tuners, an optional DVB-T digital TV tuner card, and Windows Media Center Edition 2005.
Graphics are handled by a GeForce 6200 128MB with VGA, DVI, and component video outputs for easy HDTV connectivity. Creative provides the audio with 7.1 channels of 24-bit/96kHz high definition audio, complete with analog, coaxial, and optical outputs.
Shuttle plans to sell the fully-configured system with a matching remote and wireless keyboard/mouse combo.
If a fully-configured system isn’t your thing, Shuttle may also sell the M1000 in barebones form as the MCE-01. However, the company is unsure if enough of a market exists for such a product. Final pricing and availability haven’t been determined for the full system or a barebones derivative, either.
Conclusions
While 64-bit computing might be a quick and easy transition, the average consumer may see little benefit from the extra bits. Microsoft’s demonstrations at WinHEC showed the greatest performance benefits in applications that rely on available memory, such as MySQL and Lightwave 3D, but there was very little emphasis on the advantages of 64-bit computing for consumers. NX bit protection is nice, but it’s available in 32-bit Pentium 4 processors, and already supported under Windows XP Service Pack 2. However, since there are virtually no performance penalties for moving to 64 bits, expect 64-bit systems to replace 32-bit ones in the marketplace fairly quickly.
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