what determines 32bit or 64bit

[kcooldude]

Hey all,

I am in the process in building my first computer, I'm still at the buying stage. But, I was wondering what part determines whether my machine is 32bit or 64bit.

Also, what is the benefit and con of having a 32bit or 64bit? I know binary, so I am going to assume it just means twice as much storage/memory, would that be correct?

 

[USAFRet]

Hey all,

I am in the process in building my first computer, I'm still at the buying stage. But, I was wondering what part determines whether my machine is 32bit or 64bit.

Also, what is the benefit and con of having a 32bit or 64bit? I know binary, so I am going to assume it just means twice as much storage/memory, would that be correct?

Primarily, the CPU determines. But any collection of regular PC parts in the last decade is 64bit capable.

It's not memory/storage, but rather how it handles instruction sets.
Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64-bit_computing

 

[Skeefers]

Your CPU will determine that, but most chips these days are 64 bit capable. Essentially this allows your OS (assuming you install a 64 bit OS as well) to use a different set of instructions than what a 32 bit system is capable of using. It has the added benefit of allowing the OS to use more than 4GB of RAM as well.

You'll see the largest benefit in games that are 64 bit, or other applications that utilize a lot of RAM. Keep in mind, however, that an application must be 64 bit, as well as your OS, in order for this to be fully effective; the 32 bit version of an application can't behave like a 64 bit application just because your CPU and OS are 64 bit.

 

[bazzarooney]

Basically operating system you install defines whether or not it's a 64 bit system. All modern processors are 64 bit capable so it's just the OS you install. The limitation of a 32bit system is that it can only address 4 GB of memory, this includes video memory etc.

64 bit is the only way to go.

 

[kyllien]

As a direct answer. The CPU controls whether it is 32 bit or 64 bit. While there are still some 32bit processors out there like the Intel Atom processor. Those are not really for system builders and are suited better for extremely low power systems or extremely small systems.

Once you are sure of whether your CPU is 64 or 32 bit you need to choose which OS to install. Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 all come in 32 bit and 64 bit versions. You can install only a 32 bit OS on a 32 bit processor. You can install either a 32 bit or 64 bit OS on a 64 bit processor.

As an indirect answer. Your software or games determine whether you need 32 bit or 64 bit. Many new games are coming out only in 64 bit to take advantage of better DirectX 11 performance.

Finally, you can run almost every 32 bit application on a 64 bit OS. But like the OS restrictions you can't run a 64 bit application on a 32 bit OS.