32-bit V/S 64-bit processors- unlocked.

Courtesy: Extecho

You must have seen 32-bit and 64-bit options while downloading an application or a game. You might have even seen a sticker saying that your PC has a 64-bit processor. The question is what difference does it make having a 32-bit or a 64-bit processor and which is better?

Well, for a Windows user, you must have seen that there are two different Program Files folder- "Program Files" and "Program Files(x86)". Understanding why we have two different folders (the first is for 64-bit and second is for 32-bit) is very important if you have ever seen a misbehaving application by installing the wrong application in the wrong folder.

Courtesy: Digital Trends

The same, but very different.

We have two different Program Files folder because the way the 32-bit and 64-bit processors are designed are fundamentally different. Though the 64-bit application is backwards compatible is true, the opposite isn't. If you try to write a 32-bit application in a 64-bit folder, it is like going to a French Library to find an English book and finding yourself completely out of place.

"Wouldn't it be better if we got rid of 32-bit for good?"

Well, yes and no. The reason is even though the 64-bit is definitely the next gen processors, most of the applications and even the operating systems are 32-bit based. Having two different folders, help the applications find the appropriate architecture to write data on.

Why two architectures then?

Let us talk the basics first. The number of bits in a processor define the size of the data types that it handles and the size of its registry. Simply saying, a 64-bit processor is more capable than 32-bit processor because it can handle more data at once and can perform more calculations per unit time. The actual difference- 32-bit processor has access to 4 GB of memory and 64-bit processor has access to 16 billion GB of memory.

WOAH! That's huge, but here is the catch. It can handle more memory only if you have that much memory in the first place and the operating system capable to access so much memory. An application requiring less than 4 GB of memory will not make a significant difference in the two processors. If an application can utilize much more but the operating system is not designed to handle that much memory, that won't make a difference either.

To make the complete utilization of a greater memory, it requires the complete re-engineering of the hardware, then re-writing the complete Operating System based on the new architecture and writing drivers for each and every hardware component separately. The applications must also be re-compiled for improvements in the newer system.

So, is 64-bit processor faster?

Not exactly. The 64-bit processor is more capable indeed, so you will experience significant performance improvement while performing video editting or playing high performance games but adding more bits is only useful if there is a requirement for it. If you ask for a 64-bit processor to play ping-pong, it does not make any sense. The speed of your system depends on your needs. So saying 64-bit processor is better is just a selling point.

64-bit processor is capable, no doubt there but today it is the question between the long time reliability of the 32-bit processor and the more capable 64-bit. Moving to the 64-bit processor is definitely the next step and will gradually phase the 32-bit processors out. Till then, enjoy the transition period- 64-bit and 32-bit in a 64-bit environment.