64-Bit PCs: The Leading Edge Hits the Tipping Point

ExtremeTech's interesting and thought-provoking article left me with the following analysis and conclusions:

• The 64-bit hardware from first AMD and then Intel was wasted transistors without a mainstream-compatible operating system, Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, which arrived earlier this year. (Please, no hate mail, Linux lovers). That allowed the leading-edge geeks to trade in a copy of XP Pro for the new OS and have fun playing.
• But XP 64 alone is a solitary existence. An OS need applications. XP 64 supports 32-bit apps quite well in isolated address spaces, dubbed WOW (Windows on Windows). In the last few months, many software suppliers have begun to offer or beta native 64-bit applications.
• ExtremeTech benchmarks show a modest (and generally acceptable) hit to performance on some unoptimized 32-bit apps, an improvement in many 32-bit apps (especially on the AMD 64 microprocessor), and a performance win 64-bit-enabled apps. These published findings match the industry and user chit-chat I have been hearing for several months. The situation will only improve as more 64-bit extensions are released in the comping months.
• Therefore, I conclude that leading-edge users may want to more closely consider a 64-bit desktop environment for not just play but production. The caveats are that peripheral driver support (e.g., those USB things hanging off your PC) is spotty; memory under 1GB is a waste of effort; your mileage will vary; and you won't be getting much if any hand-holding from your name-brand PC supplier. With these caveats met, you may be at your personal tipping point.
• However, the PC mainstream is still 3-5 years from a 64-bit desktop with 2+GB of memory.