why 64 bit is better then 32

**Frankthetank1** · 05-26-2009, 08:29 PM

The 32-bit versions of Windows just don't cut it anymore, so when making the switch from XP - or Vista - to Windows 7, make sure you choose 64-bit, it's the new craze and it's becoming surprisingly popular. Best of all, most 32-bit applications will run seamlessly on 64-bit operating systems. Here's all the pros and cons of changing to 64-bit Windows.

You probably skipped the Vista bedlam, unless you were one of the unfortunate ones that had it forced upon you while buying a new system. So no doubt you've heard about Windows 7 and you're likely to join the testing phase and snatch up your copy of the Release Candidate, hell you might've already done so. And why not too, I mean it doesn't expire until June 2010, so you've got a whole year to use it as a test bed. Well, when you do, make sure you get the 64-bit version, and if you've already got the 32-bit version, now's your chance to swap to 64-bit before you get too deep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DGzd...layer_embedded

**Cabalo** · 05-26-2009, 08:41 PM

well, i've been using the Vista x64 version for around 2 years now, and had absolutely any problems at all with it, and i repeat, any.

**100%** · 05-26-2009, 08:45 PM

Your reasons why 64 bit is better than 32;
- 32-bit just don't cut it any more
- 64-bit it's the new craze
- 64-bit it's becoming surprisingly popular

You are as reliable as the video.

**Frankthetank1** · 05-26-2009, 09:35 PM

Did you even watch the video?

In a nutshell, your computer's processor (or CPU) takes in a bunch of instructions given to it by your software and performs some computations on these instructions. During the computation process, it also needs to pull and use information that is stored in memory based on a location (or memory address) given to it. A 64-bit CPU simply means that your computer can store and process numbers that are made up of 64 bits, where a bit is simply a 1 or a 0; likewise, a 32-bit CPU can store and process numbers that are made up of 32 bits.

I'm not going to go in depth too much (our good friend Wikipedia does that quite nicely). Basically, the whole bit thing (8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, 64-bit) refers to how much data the computer can keep track of, and that's what determines how much memory it can handle. A processor with 32-bit memory addresses can only use 4GB of RAM. A 64-bit system can address 16 exabytes of RAM. Yep, you read that correctly, 16 exabytes. That's 16.8 million terabytes, or 17.2 billion gigabytes.
To put this in perspective, in the days when 4 MB of main memory was commonplace, the maximum memory ceiling was about 1,000 times larger than typical memory configurations. Today, when over 2 GB of main memory is common, the ceiling is about ten trillion times larger. That is to say, there is no ceiling (just like there was no spoon in The Matrix). It sent shivers down my spine when I found that out, imagine a computer with that amount of RAM, there'd be no need to teach maths in schools. So, what we really need to do is crack the whip on those lazy software designers who haven't made their stuff into 64-bit yet. Adobe, are you listening?
If you don't already have 4GB of RAM then you should probably buy a few extra gigabytes anyway. RAM is so cheap right now; I've just got a 4GB set for £40 from Novatech and the extra boost has such a large impact on the speed of my machine. The biggest issues and the thing everyone is a little sketchy about, is hardware: if a gadget doesn't have 64-bit drivers, it won't work with your 64-bit operating system. Most things should be okay but if you use legacy stuff, you might want to hold back for a while and should always double check just to be safe.
Obviously many applications aren't yet available in 64-bit, but the best thing about 64-bit is that it's backwards compatible and most, if not all, 32-bit applications can also run on 64-bit Windows (though aren't likely to access more than 4GB of RAM). So if you've got a 64-bit processor and 4GB of RAM, running 64-bit is a definite. Hopefully articles like this will push people and developers to support 64-bit more and more, so you won't be alone for long. The benefits of an abundance of RAM, with all the crap you're probably running right now, are just too good to miss.