Interesting article:

http://yahoo.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2004/tc20040226_9664_tc1
19.htm

Excerpt:

"ECOSYSTEM" NEEDED.  Still, the 64-bit processor and OS on a desktop have
wide appeal. Most 32-bit applications running on a 64-bit OS will function
a little faster, says Dean McCarron, principal of processors consultancy
Mercury Research in Cave Creek, Ariz. And 64-bit apps running on a 64-bit
OS could result in up to 30% improvements in the speed when performing
tasks like video editing, he says.

For now, computer buyers who don't care about 64-bit hype might want to
concentrate on chip performance measured on 32-bit applications. Today,
AMD's top desktop chip, Athlon 64, leads Intel's Prescott in most benchmark
tests, says Glaskowsky. But the two companies' positions tend to switch
often.

Intel still believes the world isn't ready for 64-bit desktop
computing. "When we see the software ecosystem for 64-bit desktop chips and
the demand, we'll be there," says a spokesperson. However, demand could
arrive before the ecosystem is built. That'll be a boon for computer and
memory makers, which will end up getting more money for products that, in
most users' homes, will work only slightly better than today's 32-bit
systems.

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