Should I switch to 64-bit XP?

[!Nekko!]

I'm toying around with the idea of switching to XP x64 and need some advice on whether I should go through with it or not. (Computer Specs below)

I'm toying around with the prospect of adding 2x2GB of RAM on top of my 2 GBs that I have already (my Mobo supports 8GB). I can't use more than 3.5 with the XP 32-bit, which is why I might switch to 64-bit. It also seems like 64-bit is the upcoming standard.

A few concerns I have...

How reliable are the drivers for XP 64-bit? I know I can get compatible drivers, but I don't want them to gimp my system.

Also, how well does Fruity Loops run under a x64 environment? I have FL5 right now. I know x64 can emulate 32-bit, but it sounds like the performance takes a hit when it does that. Does anyone know how significant this supposed drop is?

I also usually use my computer for gaming, so I'm wondering about performance issues with that. The two highest end games I'm likely to play the most are Team Fortress 2 and Hellgate London, but I also throw on older games now and then. Are there possible issues that might arise?

I also have access to Vista 64-bit. Does anyone recommend that instead of XP?

My system specs:
ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 w/ AM2CPU Bridge Card
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ AM2
G.Skill 2x1GB DDR2 800 RAM
Sapphire ATI Radeon X1950XT 256MB PCI-e x16
Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS
Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB 7200 IDE

[zircon]

I think it depends on what you want to do. I would Google every game and app you want to use under XP64 to see if they are supported. You WILL need to make sure all your drivers are 64bit compatible as well - some of them will simply work, others, you can't just use the 32bit ver, you need the 64bit ver specifically. I would not recommend Vista 64bit for any reason.

I've been using XP64 as my "DAW" OS recently, as a dual boot, and it has worked very well. No compatibility issues that I have found yet, but I had to carefully research all of my hardware (soundcard, keyboard, video card, etc.) and software (FL, favorite plugins) to make sure I could get them to work. Luckily, all of them had 64bit drivers, or 32bit ones that worked anyway.

FL runs flawlessly on XP64 as far as I can tell. I've made an entire, resource-intensive song with it with no problems. Then again, I use FL7/FL8, so I have no idea about FL5.

[kitty]

I would advise you to NOT switch because of the whole driver issue. You may discover in the future that something you may wish to use doesn't have 64bit drivers. Like what zircon said, you can search for ALL of your the applications you need and want in order to make the switch less of a headache. I had a friend who switched for a bit, but couldn't stand the driver issue.

[!Nekko!]

Aight, you guys successfully defused that problem. Here is an orangutan who wants to give you a hug.

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/9370/1207694354066ba3.jpg