I seem to be getting a bit confused I was hoping some of the guys here can help me understand it better... I don’t remember seeing a 64bit Intel CPU!? but I can’t imagine why not make a 64bit one since i7 uses DDR3 triple channel ram that bear minimum is 3gb pretty much!? and 32bit OS (XP) supports only 3 GB... so how does it work 64bit OS on a 32bit CPU and what advantages/disadvantages do you get also what CPU's are 64bit from Intel i5/i7 and so on... Thank you!
does that include core 2? thats interesting to know... all of a suden was droped from statistics! so in a sense 32 OS should become obsolete? but why did even win 7 come out with 32bit version?
I thought the atoms and some of the nanos were the only recent CPUs that weren't 64bit? I spose you have said 'most' of the atoms, is it the new dual core ones that are 64bit. @OP Intels 64bit thing is EMT64, which has been on most chips since P4 IIRC, I think it was sort of late P4 era.
Most Pentium4s were 32bit, just the later ones reached 64bit (6-series had 64bit e.g. 620 etc). AMD were the first out with 64bit CPUs (Athlon64). Now all mainstream CPUs are 64bit except for some atoms, VIA CPUs etc. The 32bit OS only remains an option for use with legacy software that may not work with 64bit and those last few 32bit processors. For most people there's no point in not going 64bit now.
Now there's decent driver support, as Lion says, there's no point not going 64bit tbh. AMD were the first ones with large-scale 64bit support iirc, with Intel adding it to later P4's as an afterthought. Even then there was no windows support for it, so it was near as dammit an unused option.
- AMD Athlon 64 - AMD Athlon 64 X2 - AMD Phenom - AMD Phenom II - AMD Turion - AMD Turion X2 - AMD Athlon Neo - Some Pentium Dual Core - Intel Core 2 Solo - Intel Core 2 Duo - Intel Core 2 Quad - Intel Core i5 - Intel Core i7 - Some Intel Atom - Intel Atom dual core versions I may have forgotten 1-2 models. Are all 64-bit CPU's.
What differences can you look out for when moving from 32 bit to 64 bit ? I take it games are unaffected ? Is 4gb ram recommended because the cpu is processing more information ? I have an original E6600 2 core duo is this a 64bit cpu ?
yes, the e6600 will have 64bit. 4GiB of RAM is useful as Vista likes to use quite a bit, and it will make things a bit snappier. Though you can run Vista on 2GiB, its just not 'as' fast as 4GiB. Its not really got anything to do with the fact that the cpu is processing more information.
1- You get to use your full 4GB of RAM 2- Having a full OS in 64-bit helps A LOT throughout the system. Things are faster and more responsive, even 32-bit application benefit from a nice 5-15% boost in performance because of the OS in 64-bit. 3- 64-bit drivers makes things easier for the CPU, which could lead to increase performance in software and games. 4- Security. 64-bit Windows and your CPU has more security features 5- Rootkit begone. As now drivers need to be digital signed and approved by Microsoft to work under 64-bit Windows, else it won't install. Rootkits can't be used. 6- 64-bit software/games, as more and more people move to 64-bit Windows, more and more software and games will appear in 64-bit. And as programmers get to know how to program better under 64-bit environment, thing swill only get better. 7- 64-bit codec - Windows Vista and 7 64-bit feature Windows Media Player 11/12 64-bit (32-bit Windows Media Player it turned on by default). Once enabled and 64-bit codec pack is installed (if you need one), you get to play all your video's in 64-bit goodness. Now for normal videos there is not much benefit, HD movies, is more visible. And if you are on laptop, this is where you see the difference... you gain battery life. How much? Well that all depends on your computer specifications, movie, and codec you use. Damn it! I hate this list. it finishes at 7, which makes me think that I am accidently doing a Windows 7 ad. ok fine: a la Sony Blu-ray! 8- 64-bit makes games and actors in movie better in all aspects. There. Now, I'll be screwed for windows 8.
