Windows XP 64; benefits?

Hey 4chan,
BEFORE I BEGIN: I know this is incredibly n00bish, and I apologize in advance.
I recently purchased a 64 bit processor. Do I NEED WinXP 64? Or can I use any OS I want? If I can use any OS (say, WinXP Home which I have handy), what are the benefits to using XP 64?
Thanks guys.

Benefits: Can use half of your memory. Slower.
Maligmanents: Everything else.

The way I understand it is that XP 64 will run smoother than the old XP versions, but there aren't drivers for certain things on XP 64.
But my original question was, do I NEED XP 64 for a 64 bit processor? Or is it just a potential upgrade?

>>1
No, you don't need the 64-bit edition of Windows XP. You can run the vanilla 32-bit editions no problem. You just won't be able to run any 64-bit applications (not that there are many, or indeed any, that don't have 32-bit counterparts). Drivers can be a big problem in 64-bit Windows, since not all manufacturers support it properly yet.

>>4
Thank you very much, you've flawlessly answered my question.
It's appreciated!