32-bit vs. 64-bit OS

Why 64-bit? 

This question is generally not answered entirely and cannot be answered quantitatively. Several factors determine if the 64-bit architecture will improve generic and everyday applications performance. The 64-bit architecture will benefit those applications with one or more of the requirements mentioned below.

• Memory
  A 32-bit machine contains 32 bits of virtual addressing. It converts to a total virtual memory of 232 bytes which is 4 GB. Generally, out of the 4 GB process address space, some space is reserved for use by the Operating System.
• Large-number math
  Large-number math is an advantage offered by a 64-bit processor. A 32-bit processor can operate the integer between -2.1 billion to +2.1 billion (approximately). But, it is not to say that a 64-bit number cannot handle a 32-bit processor. A number that is more significant than 32-bits can be contained in multiple memory spaces. But since these are at best workarounds and are not fast, a 64-bit processor will operate more significant numbers without having to resort to the workarounds, and therefore they are inherently faster.
• Date Format 
  The current Date format is a 32-bit signed integer which will expire soon, and hence the structure has to be changed to a 64-bit signed integer. A process cannot run for more than 49.7 days in the Microsoft Windows environment. This happens due to the limitation of the 32-bit time format.
  You can also read about the Multilevel Queue Scheduling.

Identify whether your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit

Windows

In Windows 10 and Windows 8.1

• Go to the Start button and click it.
• Then go to Settings > System > About
• Then go inside About settings > On the right side, under Device specifications, you can see System type.

In Window 7

• Go to the Start button icon and click it
• Then right-click on Computer> Properties.
• Inside System, you can see the system type.

macOS

• Go to the menu and select About This Mac.
• Click the System Report button. If it's not there, click the More Info button and click the System Report button.
• Search the Processor Name in the Hardware Overview Under the Hardware panel.

• Use the chart below to identify your processor type.

In the above table, we have seen different types of processors and types of operating systems it is using.

Also read - AMD vs Intel

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 32-bit software work in 64-bit os?

That depends on the CPU and OS, but if you're on x86–64 or ARMv8 (probably the two most common 64-bit instruction sets) and a reasonably common OS like Windows or a significant UNIX derivative (macOS/OSX, Linux, etc.), generally the answer is YES.

What is the main difference between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the operating system?

The 64-bit version of Windows operates large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system. A 32-bit system has a limit of 4GB RAM to process data, whereas the 64-bit has 2^64 bits of memory to address and supports 16 exabytes of RAM to process data.

Can I Upgrade from 32-Bit to 64-Bit?

For upgrading from a 32-bit to a 64-bit system, you should have a 64-bit processor in your operating system. If not, it is recommended that you buy a new computer. Maximum computers sold since 2011 already have a 64-bit chip, but not every one of them has a 64-bit operating system.

Conclusion

In this article, we learned how the 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems work internally, and we understood their critical differences. We also learned why we chose 64-bit over 32-bit. At last, we saw the steps to find whether our System contains a 32-bit or 64-bit Operating System.

Recommended Reading:

• Process Control Block in OS
• Thrashing in OS
• fcfs scheduling algorithm
• Functions of an Operating System
• Types of Computer Memory (RAM and ROM)
• Difference between 32-bit and 64-bit OS

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