We are dropping x64 PCSX2 Playground builds!

[Krakatos]

You people seem not to understand, and I have been saying it more than once. Or maybe you have not been reading the thread, and just post here.

It matters not whether the OS is 64bit or 32 bit. The point is whether or not it can run 32bit code. And be sure of one thing, all windows OS out in the next 5-10 years WILL be able to run 32bit code, even if they are 64bit only themselves. It's simply unthinkable that they be not, there is way too many 32bit programs out there for the support to be taken away.

Do you truly think normal users would stand not being able to play ANY game out before of date x EVER again (where date x is, say, 2010? Would you?)
Do you truly think companies would COMPLETELY renew their entire software licenses just because microsoft decides to "make an os without 32bit support"?
If you think any of the above, you have no idea of what business is. The first 64bit only OS, in the sense that it cannot run 32bit applications, will be out at least a couple of years after every game developers and business software developer has switched to 64bit only application... Which may be in 2013, but certainly not in 2009....

As for the speed, I'll simply point to what jake said..
http://forums.pcsx2.net/thread-2621-post...l#pid13026
and well, as you said yourself, you'e not really a coder and do not know about pcsx2 and emulation so... better believe the words of someone who does.

[Air]

Currently, Windows 7 have 32Bit builds, but unofficialy its expected to ship only as 64bit.

What that means is that Windows 7 will not be installable on 32-bit CPUs. It does not mean it can't run 32 bit applications.

But i cant believe there is no performance advantages in X64 LMA mode , there is almost x4 the register space than in compatibility mode or 32Bits.

For traditional coding, yes, there's performance advantages to x64. But from a recompiler aspect -- where the optimization assumptions and code reordering options available to us are significantly limited -- there's not so much advantage. Additionally the x64 does not have that many more registers over the x86. x86 has the 8 MMX registers (which are all 64 bit), and x64 modes do not. So whenever you do register counting between the two CPUs, you need to factor those in as well.

[M33 User]

Edit: Nevermind, this is OK with me.

[cottonvibes]

Currently, Windows 7 have 32Bit builds, but unofficialy its expected to ship only as 64bit. I think, droping it right now its not wise, and as you can see in the poll, there are more 64Bits systems than 32bits ones if we count Linux Distros.But i cant believe there is no performance advantages in X64 LMA mode , there is almost x4 the register space than in compatibility mode or 32Bits. Dont missunderstand me, im not a coder, im half way to. Could anyone explain?

there are some advantages; and a fully optimized windows x64 build could be faster.
the thing is, to do such a thing would mean we would have to focus only on x64, and drop the 32bit builds.
32bit builds can work on x64 systems, but the reverse isn't possible.

so we actually loose 60%+ of our users.
so this is not an option.

[DHUNTER]

Well , guys do whatever you feel is right ,we users should be happy enough that you are even doing this great job on one build
so anyway by the time a good x64 build is ready (that will bring the slight speed difference ) after rewriting all the compilers , all users pcs should have a 5000 MHz cpu clock which should be fine with your optimized 32 bit build

keep up the good work

[Lunar Aura]

I'm running primarily Vista x64 and dual boot WinXP 32bit

The fact that you people do what you do for the emulation community and still provide us a platter to b*tch and whine, wow. Thank you. Please, do whatever you feel is right.

[bigmehdi]

Well, they've already dropped 64 build support ...
This was obvious with revision 542.
I guess this discussion is dead.

[graftgb]

For traditional coding, yes, there's performance advantages to x64. But from a recompiler aspect -- where the optimization assumptions and code reordering options available to us are significantly limited -- there's not so much advantage. Additionally the x64 does not have that many more registers over the x86. x86 has the 8 MMX registers (which are all 64 bit), and x64 modes do not. So whenever you do register counting between the two CPUs, you need to factor those in as well.

in win64 you can indeed use mmx registers, they're preserved across context switches and fully usable for usermode code. there was a common misconception regarding this from early ms statements, and the fact that msvc ignores their existence.

see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/...s.80).aspx

as for the overall win64 abi (xmm6/7 nonvolatile? what?) it could have been better, but mmx regs are definitely still there for us asm guys to play with

[Gabest]

Several instructions are only faster on perlyn if they use xmm registers, writing mmx code will be gradually slower in the future.

[graftgb]

well i wouldn't do much actual work with them, but having 8 more spill registers is always good!