what does 32 bit or 64 bit mean when talking about operating systems?

Question

My computer runs windows 7 64 bit as its operating system, I know an operating system can either be 32 or 64 bit but I don’t understand what 32 or 64 bit means, my friend told me he wasn’t sure either but he thinks its got something to do with a 64 bit o/s can control more complex programs, or maybe just make programs work faster – but as I said he wasn’t too sure, can anyone explain it in easy to understand terms

Answer 1

It is about the architecture design. The 64bit design will give your computer the ability to work faster. One important aspect of it that you might be concerned with is RAM. a 64bit OS can run more ram than 32bit OS. Note that a 32bit operating system can not run more than 4gigs of RAM depending on the OS while a 64bit can.

Answer 2

I took A+ Computer Repair this past school year and this is what I learned.



64 bit systems can handle memory more effectively than a 32 bit system. Another advantage is that with a 64 bit system, you can run and install 32 bit programs. On the other hand, you can't run or install 64 bit programs on a 32 bit system because it's just too much memory for it too handle. Overall, 64 bit systems are more secure, faster, and efficient.

Answer 3

I'm not going to go all nerdy and explain stuff that doesn't really apply to your computer uses...



The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer's processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system.



- 64bit is much faster than 32bit.

- Since 64-bit systems process more information and support greater RAM, Windows 7 is more responsive when you are running complex applications or many applications simultaneously.

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So yeah, 64bit is the way forward :), check out the link in my sources if ya like..

Answer 4

The x64 version can have more than 3.25 gb ram unlike the x32 version.



While x64 architecture has a few more registers which allows easier optimizations, this is often counteracted by the fact pointers are now larger and using any structures with pointers results in a higher memory traffic. I would estimate the increase in the overall memory usage for a 64b application compared to a 32b one to be around 15-30 %.



The x64 version is only faster in applications that can take advantage of the increased amount of RAM that the OS can support.

Answer 5

There will have to be two explanations for this 1. By means of mistake 32 bit OS set up on ur sixty four Bit laptop... For this chk install sixty four bit OS to chk this u will do it via installing second OS in different force . If hooked up then ur computer is 64 Bit if not its 32 bit 2. By way of mistake ur laptop is trade to sixty four bit to 32 bit have a chk to factor 1 if not sucess then go to ur supplier to remedy this.......

Answer 6

nothing to do with gaming

read... it's a dumbed down explanation, but still

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/32-bit-and-64-bit-windows-frequently-asked-questions



It's doesn't necessarily run quicker.... sometimes slower, it depends on the application.

Answer 7

The 64bit version of windows utilises RAM more effectively than the 32bit version. In essence, making it quicker to run.