Iolo Technologies has claimed it is the first vendor to offer system builders the tools to service 64bit computing platforms, which are gaining ground with serious users.

Iolo Technologies’ support tool, System Mechanic, has had to be adapted to the demands of high-end users, claimed its marketing vice president, Jean-Jacques Schoch.

“At the start of the year few users thought about 64bit, let alone bought a system. That has changed dramatically in recent months,” he said.

In 2006, System Mechanic was the first software program to have Windows Vista compatibility. Iolo now claims it is a leader on 64bit compatibility, providing 40 different PC tune-up tools.

Schoch predicted that although the move from XP to Vista has been slow, users will move en masse now that Vista 32 and Vista 64 cost around the same price.

Hardcore gamers and PC enthusiasts will make the switch, argued AMD’s European channel marketing manager Richard Baker.

“AMD pioneered the 64bit desktop computing market with the launch of the first AMD Opteron processor and we have seen massive growth in this market since,” he said.

“There is increasingly pervasive adoption of this technology because it is more efficient in complex business environments.”

Unlike a 32bit system, there are no limits on the upgrades available for a 64bit system. Only a maximum 3GB of memory can be accessed on a 32bit system, for example.

Users will hold onto their PCs for longer, said Schoch, but the increased power of 64bit computers will create a need for better servicing.

“The registry gets choked and you end up with so many applications being installed and uninstalled that the system rapidly slows down after purchase,” he said.