Since Adobe’s recent announcement that Premiere Pro and After Effects will be 64 bit applications, and other developers are following suit with their plugins, some have wondered if they will have to fork out the money for a brand new computer. In most cases, if you’re already using a decent machine for your digital photography, 3D or motion graphics work, the answer will be “no”. :)
SOME 64-BIT BACKGROUND:
• The primary benefit of 64 bit applications is NOT speed. In other words 64 bit processes do not magically run twice as fast as 32 bit processes (don’t let any sales wonk tell you otherwise; they’re in business to sell, not inform). However, the 64 bit applications gain access to (basically) unlimited RAM! That’s a really big deal if you’re opening up huge project files with lots of images, audio, etc. With 64-bit, fewer operations rely on the (relatively slow) hard disk data rates that 32-bit apps often require. Instead, your open file data and operations are piped directly into and out of RAM, assuming you have enough installed.
• For Mac users and PC users who have a Core 2 Duo or later processor, your machine should already be 64-bit capable. For that reason most creative types will NOT need a new computer, unless their computer is quite a bit older (say 4 or 5 years). However, you WILL want to install more RAM if you have space for it. You may be forced to remove (and eBay) old, smaller capacity modules (say 512MB or 1GB) and replace them with higher density modules (2GB or 4GB), especially on laptops. As much as you can afford, get it. RAM is cheap compared to other components or a new Mac / PC. Also IF you are buying a new Mac or PC anyway, DON’T load up on RAM from Apple, Dell, Alienware, etc. If you know how to install it yourself, buy RAM from Crucial.com, Other World Computing, or other reliable retailers. They usually offer much better prices than OEMs. :)
• For Mac and PC users, both Snow Leopard (10.6) and Windows 7 are full 64-bit operating systems. While parts of older systems are 64 bit, these two are the ones you’ll want to use if you’re going to be using mostly 64 bit apps like AE and Lightroom going forward. Especially on the Mac side. On the PC side sometimes people find a “perfect setup” with their XP Pro and don’t want to tinker with it for fear of crashes or viruses, but generally these are both good systems IME and probably worth an upgrade. Note that many 64 bit applications mayoffer the option to run in either 64 bit or 32 bit mode, so you’ll want to check that on an app-by-app basis before deciding what to do with your system. Your buddy’s priorities may be a little different than yours in that regard.
• For AE users, be aware that all of your favorite plug-ins will probably require an update to run properly in the 64 bit version of AE, so they may not be available right away. The good news is Andrew Kramer over at Video Copilot, is going to do just that (upgrade his plug-ins right away), and the cost to you will be nill!
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