Undoubtedly, today it is difficult to find a PC user who does not come across the concept of “64-bit system”. What is this, far from everyone can clearly answer, although almost everyone has heard about it. Let's try to understand this issue and clarify the situation. As an example for further discussion and comparison, we will take the popular Windows 7 64 and 32 bits. We will also see what their difference consists in and touch upon the burning issues of increasing computer performance.
64-bit system: what is it in general terms?
Now, perhaps, we will not go into specific computer terms, but try to explain the understanding of bitness, so to speak, in a simple universal language.
What is bit depth in general? As already understood, it is expressed in bits, but this concept should be considered not only from the point of view of the system itself (Windows 7 64 bits, for example), but also taking into account peripheral devices (roughly speaking the “iron” filling of any computer). Thus, the simplest conclusion: bit depth is the number of bits that can be processed by such devices at the same time, provided that the system is able to send such requests. Naturally, this is the simplest interpretation.
32-bit or 64-bit system: what's the difference?
In order to fully understand the difference between systems with different bit sizes, you need to take a short excursion into the history of the development of computer technology, in particular, processor chips.
At the dawn of evolution, all processors manufactured at that time had a bit depth of 8 bits, that is, they could only process 8 bits of information at a time. The revolution took place when they were replaced by 32-bit chipsets, which, incidentally, due to their versatility, are still used. After quite a long time, processor chips with 64-bit architecture appeared, but this, as it turns out, is not the limit, because in the near future we are promised the appearance of 128-bit processors and the OS created for them.
There is an interesting fact. Previously, 32-bit systems were designated as “x32”, then the abbreviation “x86” was adopted. Why and for what purpose this was done, no one really knows. However, today you can easily compare, say, Windows 7 32 bits and a similar version of 64 bits. Externally, they do not differ in interface at all. But in the program plan, the difference is quite significant.
The fact is that 64-bit Windows systems have in their arsenal some components and features that are not available in 32-bit versions. The simplest example is the universal Hyper-V hypervisor module, which is a virtual machine capable of installing child OSs (even non-Windows), as well as testing hardware or software without affecting the main system.
But this is only one aspect. In fact, everything is much more complicated and more related to processors and RAM.
CPU support
As regards processor chips, naturally, 64-bit devices have higher speed. However, that one should pay attention to the moment that on a computer with a processor that does not support this bit, 64-bit Windows simply will not install. Actually, this is one
from points of system requirements.
But when using the x64 architecture, managing processors and their parameters is much more convenient. So, for example, you can easily use all the cores to speed up the processing of data and commands, or enable a virtual processing thread called Hyper Threading.
Maximum RAM
But here we come to one of the most sensitive issues regarding the volume of "RAM". The difference, for example, between Windows 7 32-bit and x64 version immediately manifests itself in the fact that 32-bit systems do not support the installation of RAM with a capacity exceeding 4 GB.
In other words, how many bars do not put there, they will not even be determined at the level of "iron". And it is this limitation that creates a lot of problems in the development and correct operation of resource-intensive programs and applications, when increased efficiency is required.
But the 64-bit version of Windows 7 (or any other system) can work with a fairly large amount of "RAM". For example, the version of Windows 7 Maximum “sees” up to 128 GB, Professional - up to 192 GB, although, in principle, it is believed that these restrictions are very conditional. And if you look into the near future, you can imagine how many “RAMs” will be able to perceive systems with 128-bit architecture.
You can see whether the configuration supports 64-bit architecture through the "Control Panel", where the section for counters and productivity tools is selected. Next, a menu for displaying and printing detailed results is used. This is where 64-bit support is indicated.
Performance Issues
Now let's look at the bit depth of the OS and compatibility with the hardware on the other hand. Higher bit depth does not mean at all that on a certain configuration, even if it meets the minimum requirements, when installing a 64-bit OS, the performance will be better than when installing the same version, but with 32-bit architecture.
It is easy to guess that 64-bit systems consume more memory, both operational and virtual. We give a simple explanation. Suppose we have a computer or laptop with 2 GB of RAM installed. The 64-bit "seven" itself consumes an average of 768 MB (with default settings). This also includes 64-bit user applications and application programs. Depending on the complexity and resource intensity, the "eaten" volume can fluctuate over a wide range. But all the same, and so it is clear that performance is reduced to almost zero. In this case, as a partial solution, you can use the installation of 32-bit applications in a 64-bit system, reducing the load on the RAM and the processor.
Versatility
So, we have a 64-bit system. What is it, I think, is already a little clear. Now let's move on to one more pressing issue related to the operation of applications and user programs.
Everything is simple here: 32-bit applications can be installed on 64-bit systems (sometimes this can be a key factor in ensuring correct operation), but, alas, you can’t install 64-bit programs on systems with architecture.
But when using schemes for combining 32-bit programs and 64-bit systems, the performance gain in relation to the application will be quite significant. In particular, this applies to multimedia. For example, when working with sound, ASIO4ALL drivers (sometimes ASIO DX Full Duplex) are used very often, which are quite heavy in themselves, especially if you use the maximum buffer corresponding to the total amount of RAM, though not expressed in megabytes, but in samples. If you install a 64-bit plug-in, the load increases. But if you put the version in 32-bit, the plugin or program will just “fly”. And this is far from the only example. We are not talking about games at all now, there are also enough of their own “lotions”.
By the way, you don’t have to go far to see which version of the OS is installed on the computer. A regular right click on the computer icon with a choice of the properties menu will present the necessary information.
Switching from a 32-bit system to a 64-bit system
If we consider the transition from one architecture to another (from lowest to highest), it should be borne in mind that Windows systems, for example, the same "seven" involves changing the file system from FAT32 to NTFS.
Roughly speaking, on FAT32 it will not rise at all. On user documents created, say, in office applications, this will not affect. The same applies to programs, but only if the 64-bit system is placed on top of the existing 32-bit system, but with the existing NTFS file system. As a rule, such a transition is quite simple and painless. Otherwise, with a change in the file system, a reinstall is required.
Reverse transition
But the reverse transition from 64 bits to 32 is impossible without changing the file system. In this case, you will have to completely format the partition in which the 32-bit version of the system will be installed. It goes without saying that such a process would entail the destruction of all available data. Therefore, not to mention reinstalling programs and applications, before installing it is necessary to copy important files and documents either to another logical partition or to existing removable media (flash drive, memory card, optical disk).
In what cases is it worth installing a 64-bit OS?
The expediency of installing a 64-bit OS directly depends on the hardware configuration of the computer or laptop. Of course, you can put the same 64-bit "seven" on the terminals that meet the minimum requirements (the corresponding type of 2-core processor, at least 2 GB of RAM and free disk space, depending on the version you are installing).
But it’s better to pay attention to the recommended parameters, or even take a slightly overpriced configuration (at least 4 GB of RAM). Believe me, this will not hurt.
Software Issues
If until recently, for systems 64 bits, in general. Few people released drivers, not to mention software products, today almost all leading software developers are focused primarily on these systems. "OSes" with 32-bit architecture are slowly but surely a thing of the past, although they are still quite popular (the same Windows XP SP3 or 32-bit "seven").
And if in the coming years 128 bit architecture appears, you can completely forget about systems and processors that have unfortunate 32 bits at their disposal. And these are not empty words, because, as you know, technological progress does not stand still, but moves, so to speak, by leaps and bounds.
Instead of an afterword
So we briefly reviewed the topic “64-bit system: what is it?”. Here, for a better understanding, the emphasis on computer vocabulary and terminology was not specifically made. However, based on the foregoing, everyone can draw certain conclusions for themselves, in particular, it is worth noting that the installation and use of a 64-bit system is not always justified on weak or minimal configurations.
Finally, it is worth noting that updating a 64-bit system, in fact, is no different from version 32 bits, only the service responsible for this process downloads and installs the necessary modules and components designed specifically for this architecture. And, as is already clear, there is no visual difference between different versions, they appear only at the software level.