There are many things to keep in mind when buying a new computer. We are looking for RAM size, processor, GPU, hard drive size.. etc. But when it comes to selecting a processor category, we prefer a 64-bit processor. In fact, most people want a computer with a 64-bit processor without knowing what it means to be a 64-bit processor and what is the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit processors.
It’s good to have knowledge of the many terms that are used daily. In this article, let’s discuss the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit processors and what it means for your computer.
Difference between 32-bit and 64-bit processors
When you buy an operating system, software or game, you’ll probably see 32-bit and 64-bit options available. If you are a user of Windows, you should have noticed two volumes of software files – one simply “Software Files” and the other entitled “Software Files (x86).” This folder uses “software files” to store DLL files from 64-bit applications only. The x86 folder is used to store DLL files for 32-bit applications.
To install the 64-bit version of Windows, you need a processor capable of running the 64-bit version of Windows. The benefits of using a 64-bit operating system are more useful when you have a large amount of RAM installed on your computer, usually 4 GB of RAM or more.
In such cases, since the 64-bit operating system can handle large amounts of memory more efficiently than the 32-bit operating system, the 64-bit system can be more responsive when running several programs at the same time and repeatedly switching between them.
A computer with a 64-bit processor can have a 64-bit or 32-bit version of the installed operating system. However, with the 32-bit operating system, the 64-bit processor will not work at its full capacity.
How can a 64-bit processor process more RAM?
Computer system only supports binary counting. There’s either 0 or 1. Each one is considered a “bit”. This means for computing 1 bit, you can get two possible values; 2 bits means four values; Then at 3 bits, this doubled to eight (23).
If you continue along these lines, you will eventually get 32 bits (2 to Force 32) of 4,294,967, 296 and 64 bits (or 2 to Force 64) of 18,446, 744, 073, 709, 551, 616.
This is a lot of bits, and the numbers just show how powerful the chip supports higher computing. It’s more than double. So obviously a 64-bit processor is able to do more than 32-bit computing.
These days, you’re probably already running a 64-bit processor with 64-bit operating systems, which in turn run 64-bit applications (for mobile) or software (for desktop). Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 all came in 32-bit or 64-bit versions, for example.
