14 DAY TRIAL // After being delayed only so many times, rumor has it that Microsoft will launch the long awaited 64 bit custom-size Operating System as of end of April. That's when, purely coincidental, Intel will finally be ready with its full line of 64 bit capable CPUs, including Celeron 64s, close to that date. Intel plans to upgrade its current LGA-775 Pentium 4 line-up with its AMD64-like EM64T 64-bit addressing technology next quarter, the company's latest roadmap update shows. Intel always said it would not push EM64T out into the mainstream until key operating systems supported 64-bit addressing. Linux has for some time, of course, but to make 64-bit computing mainstream, something bigger than Linux has to back you up.
When either AMD or Intel 64 bit processors are put together with the Win XP 64 OS, all hell is supposed to break loose (efficiency speaking). The new system is supposed to work much better for 32/64 bit processors like the Athlon 64 and series 6xx for Pentium 4 with EM64T instructions.
Until that day comes, Microsoft posted online the Release Candidate (when CDs are ready to get stamped out and the boxes get printed). This is a test version which will be active for 360 days and can be downloaded for free from here. The Windows XP 64 RC1 (Release Candidate 1) is 450 MB worth, so think twice before downloading if using dial-up or other slow connections to the Net.