Windows: 32-bit Vs 64-bit

Windows: 32-bit Vs 64-bit

When shopping a new computer or upgrading an old, everyone of us come across '64-bit' and wondered what it means!  We will look the history of 32-bit and 64-bit, as well the benefits of using a 64-bit Windows environment.


In computer architecture, the CPU’s register is a small amount of storage used by the CPU and it keeps the data to access, quickly, in order for optimum computer performances. The bit designation refers the width of the register, thus a 64-bit register can hold more data than a 32-bit. The more ample the space in the CPU’s register system the more it can handle, especially utilizing system memory. 

A CPU with a 32-bit has a ceiling of 2³² addresses within the register and limited to accessing 4GB of RAM. This may have seemed like an enormous volume of RAM when they were hashing out register sizes 40 years ago; but it's an inconvenient limit for modern computers. 

The first supercomputer, utilizing a 64-bit architecture, was Cray-1, designed by Cray Research, which sets a precedent for 64-bit. Till 2000, the consumers having confusion over 64-bit, like poor driver support that severely hampered. 

In 2001 Microsoft released Windows XP, a 64-bit edition, with extremely limited driver supports. In the following years, Windows supported 64-bit in their Vista edition. Both of the 64-bit editions of XP and Vista was not widely adopted by consumers. 

The release of Windows 7, changed the things in favor to 64-bit that computing more and widely adopted.  

How to know your present system handles 64-bit? First, you've to know  on which bits (i.e., 32 or 64) your system is running and you can check your system's version of bit (here), then make sure your system handles 64-bit or not? And if your Windows 7 runs on 32-bit version then it can handle an upgrade to Windows 7, 64-bit. 
Further, testing your system's processor could even be possible to assume the system (XP, Vista or 7) that running over 32-bit has to be upgradeable to 64-bit version of Windows.  

To perform the test visit SecurAble, a free and portable application, which tests your processor that has the ability to run the 64-bit versions. It checks also the Chip that supporting D.E.P (Data Execution Prevention), a security technology designed to protects the system from “unchecked buffer” attacks. Finally, it checks system's Hardware Virtualization. The technology of “Virtual Machine” is used to create environments that can be used to operate the system from any actions taken by software running within the “virtual” environment. 

When clicking the three regions, SecurAble will display the results for each feature that will helpful to understand what's going on in your system.

According to SecurAble results, you may come across on computing 64-bit and overcoming an idea, whether your system really capable to run 64-bit or not.

Any way, there are enormous benefits, you may get, when makes a ride on a 64-bit computing system. 

• Rock More RAM: Windows 32-bit versions are limited to 4GB of RAM while a 64-bit versions can store 2⁶⁴ (over 18 quintillion or 1.8×10¹⁹) different values of RAM.  Hence, a processor with 64-bit memory addresses can directly access 2⁶⁴ bytes (=16 exbibytes) of byte-addressable memory. Pragmatically, a 64-bit of Windows 7 - Home editions are limited (because of licensing issues, not physical limitations) to 16 GB of RAM and Professional or Ultimate editions can rock up to 192GB of RAM. 

• Feel the increased efficiency: Due to the nature of 64-bit's address register, Windows 64-bit allocates more memory that has been chewed up from secondary components such as graphic or video cards. So, this will double the physical amount of RAM and you feel like the way of increased new efficiency in your system. 

• Virtual Memory: Virtual memory architecture for 32-bit is limited to assigning 2GB, while 64-bit has a limitation up to 8TB, which can be used more efficient way to allocate the virtual memory for the optimized applications such as Photoshop, digital video, scientific computing, and large databases and so on.  

• Enjoy Advanced Security Features: 64-bit Windows OS, has included the above mentioned D.E.P as well as K.P.P (Kernel Patch Protection), a patch guard that prevents the kernel exploits and device drivers infections. 

These are the wonderful sounds, i.e., advantages, for 64-bit OS.

Unfortunately, there were also some shortcomings, i.e., disadvantages, incurring you such as you can not find 64-bit OS drivers for older systems - because the hardware companies would spend their energy to support new products (and also encourage you to buy) than supporting older. 

Motherboard issues also difficult for an earlier systems that were not supporting the RAM more than 4GB but needs an upgrade.   

Software Legacy: Systems come with older legacy applications also need either virtualization or an upgrade because the older system's applications are not supporting the plugins or extensions of 64-bit version. 

So, 64-bit computing has become affordable, easy to use and practically good.