[CyberCowboy777]

I should say that the eventual move will be due to a combination of factors not just pure 64-bit in nature but the entire shakeup in new systems, including the core 64-bit advancements, bus performance (including SCSI and SATA), video performance, memory size increases and performance.

For all these reason though - gamers will be moving much quicker and with more enthusiasm.

[NJ_gent]

"I should say that the eventual move will be due to a combination of factors not just pure 64-bit in nature but the entire shakeup in new systems, including the core 64-bit advancements, bus performance (including SCSI and SATA), video performance, memory size increases and performance."

The x86 world has almost always enjoyed a steady evolution, as opposed to jumps here and there. The problem with jumping is that you jump out of something else, meaning that something else becomes worthless. AMD's hypertransport bus is showing itself to be an excellent boost to the x86 world, as are PCI express and other improvements. On the memory front, Intel has what looks to be a great idea in fully-buffered RAM modules. Those allow for higher densities and reduced complexity while maintaining performance and signal integrity. It looks outstanding on paper, and we'll have to see how that develops. SCSI and SATA will continue to see gradual improvements. SCSI 320 will likely remain entirely server-oriented, as will subsequent versions. SATA is, however, bringing excellent improvements in a major PC/workstation bottleneck, especially noticable in the Western Digital 'Raptor' series hard drives. Video performance is definitely getting a bump this year, with nVidia's 6800 series cards, and the new line from Ati. I don't really see much more action on that front over the next year, however. Another very interesting development will be the dual-core CPUs that will debut next year. Those will be socket-compatible on the AMD front, meaning that a socket 939 board purchased in a couple of months (when they first become available) will be upgradable to what is essentially a dual processor capable machine in a year or so. Things haven't been this exciting since the launch of the AMD64 line.