The original intention of 64-bit operating system is to meet the needs of customers who need a lot of memory and floating-point performance in mechanical design and analysis, 3D animation, video editing and creation, scientific computing and high-performance computing applications. In other words, to put it simply, it is the operating platform for high-tech personnel to use the industry-specific software. The 32-bit operating system is designed for ordinary users.
The second one? Different addressing capabilities:
The advantage of 64-bit processor is also reflected in the system's control of memory. Because addresses use special integers, ALU (arithmetic logic operators) and registers can handle larger integers, that is, larger addresses. For example, the x64 version of Windows Vista supports 128 GB memory and 16 TB virtual memory at most, while the 32-bit CPU and operating system can only support 4G memory at most.
Number three? Different configurations are required:
A 64-bit operating system can only be installed on a 64-bit computer (the CPU must be 64-bit). At the same time, 64-bit common software needs to be installed to give full play to the best performance of 64-bit (x64). A 32-bit operating system can be installed on a 32-bit (32-bit CPU) or 64-bit (64-bit CPU) computer. Of course, the 32-bit operating system is installed on a 64-bit computer, and its hardware is like a "big horse-drawn car": 64-bit efficiency will be greatly reduced.
The fourth one? Different operating speeds:
It's a long story about the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit systems. Here, we must first understand the architecture technology of CPU. Usually we can see signs of X86 and X64 on computer hardware. In fact, these are two different CPU hardware architectures. X86 stands for 32-bit operating system? X64 stands for 64-bit operating system. So what does "bit" mean between 32 bits and 64 bits? Compared with 32-bit technology, this bit number of 64-bit technology means that the data width of CPU GPRS (general register) is 64 bits, and the 64-bit instruction set is an instruction to run 64-bit data, which means that the processor can run 64-bit data at a time. Give a simple but not particularly accurate example: the throughput of 32 bits is 1M, and the throughput of 64 bits is 2M. That is, theoretically, the performance of a 64-bit system is 1 times higher than that of a 32-bit system.
Number five? The popularity of software varies:
At present, 64-bit commonly used software is much less than 32-bit commonly used software. The reason is simple: relatively few users use the 64-bit operating system. Therefore, software developers must consider the "input-output ratio" and put limited funds into the software of more users. This is also an important reason why 64-bit software is relatively expensive (spreading the cost among fewer sales).
Number six? How to choose:
Are you a little confused? When to choose 64-bit and 32-bit? We will explain it to you in several parts.
Let me talk about memory first. Why can a 32-bit system only display 3G memory (actually 3.25G)? This is caused by the limitation of the system itself. A 32-bit system always has the ability to address the memory in 4G, and other things need to be put in 4G, such as the system BIOS, the addresses and settings of input and output devices, and the settings and addresses of various interfaces. These addresses and settings occupy about 700M of space, so 4G memory can only display 32-bit 3G, but the remaining memory is not wasted.
So, is it true that a 32-bit system can't recognize 4G memory? Not exactly. We know that more than 700 MB of memory will be occupied by hardware addresses or interfaces, so can we use some means to make them occupy the space on the hard disk (similar to virtual memory) instead of physical memory, so that 4G memory can be completely recognized? Yes, this method is really feasible, so now there is a technology called PAE, which is called physical address extension in Chinese. This technology is provided on hardware devices, but it needs system support. For example, 32-bit Windows Server 2003 can support this technology well, but Vista's support is not very good. As for Windows 7, you can use it.
So it doesn't mean that a 64-bit system must be installed as long as it is larger than 3G memory. It depends on your actual work or use requirements.
In addition to memory, 64-bit technology is also related to hardware. Motherboards must first support 4G (some motherboards before 945 don't support 4G memory, so even a 64-bit system can't recognize 4G memory), and the processor (CPU) also needs 64 bits. Some people confuse dual-core and 64-bit CPU. Here I want to emphasize that dual-core and 64-bit are two different concepts. Dual-core means that there are two CPUs physically. Although 64-bit is a technology, it does not mean that it must be 64-bit as long as it is dual-core. For example, Pentium D series has 32-bit dual-core (at present, Core 2 dual-core is basically 64-bit), and there are actually two kinds of 64-bit, one is x64, which we often say, and the other is Intel's An Teng CPU, which is a 64-bit processor specially designed for large servers (the 64-bit client version cannot be installed at all, only the server version can be installed).
Point seven? Precautions for installing 64-bit:
With the support of these hardware, you can start to think about using 64-bit system, but the most important thing is that we need to understand what risks 64-bit may have. Generally speaking, the following four questions should be considered.
Is 1 better?
2. How about reliability and safety?
3. What is the compatibility?
4. Do you need to spend more money?
On the first question, we talked about it. Sometimes, a 32-bit system may perform better than a 64-bit system. We are used to inferring from experience that the performance of the computer has improved from 8 bits to 16 bits and from 16 bits to 32 bits. However, it is not easy to draw a conclusion about the performance improvement of 64-bit programs, because only 64-bit programs that have been optimized by 64-bit will have performance improvement. At present, most Windows applications have not been optimized, while 32-bit applications run on 64-bit systems.
Some people have seen a large number of 64-bit applications recently, but it should be noted that these applications are not to improve performance, but to solve the incompatibility problem of 32-bit programs on 64-bit systems. Of course, I believe there will be more and more such 64-bit optimization software. After all, 64 bits is the same direction, sooner or later.
The second question is about stability and security. In the 64-bit system, the security has been improved to a greater extent. PatchGuard (security kernel) and DEP (data execution protection) can protect the system from malicious acts such as buffer overflow attacks, but security cannot be solved by technology alone. In terms of stability, in theory, 64-bit stability should be better than 32-bit stability, but I have never experienced such a feeling when using it. The main problem is that the software and driver are incompatible, which may even lead to blue screen. Even if drivers are required to sign digital signatures, this phenomenon has not been greatly improved at present.
The third question is very important. Compatibility is an important factor for a system to go to heaven or hell. In Windows 7, 32-bit system compatibility is excellent, but 64-bit system compatibility still has some risks. Although many softwares have been updated to be compatible with 64-bit versions, users still have to run a lot of 32-bit softwares on 64-bit systems, which may bring risks. In a 32-bit system, the DLL (dynamic link library) required for program running is stored under Windows\System32 of C:\, while in a 64-bit system, the 32-bit library is stored under Windows\SysWow64 of C:\. When a 32-bit program tries to load a library from system32, wow 64(Windows 64 Windows 64-bit) is responsible for redirecting it. Similarly, the program needs to be redirected when the registry is called. WoW64 redirects HKLM \ software to HKLM \ software \ wow 6432 node. Compared with other virtualization mechanisms, WoW64 can ensure software compatibility. Usually, these redirections work well, but any complex layer may lead to unforeseen problems, which are manifested as incompatibility. In addition, if you still have 16-bit software in your computer, it is definitely incompatible in a 64-bit system, which is also a problem that we need to consider in advance.
As for hardware compatibility, we can see from our previous tests that the overall hardware compatibility of Windows 7 is very good (about 90% hardware compatibility), but this refers to a 32-bit system. Under the 64-bit system, the current hardware compatibility is lower than that of the 32-bit system, but I believe this phenomenon will gradually improve with the development of 64-bit system.
The fourth question, what are you most concerned about? I have a 32-bit system. Do I need to spend money to install a 64-bit system again? Friends who have bought the retail color box package (FPP) should know that in Windows 7, the 32-bit system and the 64-bit system use the same license when they are activated (that is, the key we often say), and the retail version usually contains both 32-bit and 64-bit media (it seems that the home basic version does not provide 64-bit media, but you can install it by downloading a 64-bit image), so you can decide which system to install. If you don't have 64-bit media, you can also contact your dealer to buy a separate media. However, it should be noted that the retail version can only install one system at a time. If you have activated your 32-bit system, you need to call Microsoft 800 to log off and then activate your 64-bit system.
With reference to the above four points, I believe everyone has a basic understanding of where to go. To sum up, it is not enough to have a 64-bit processor, but also a 64-bit operating system and 64-bit application software. All three are indispensable, and 64-bit computing cannot be realized without them. In addition, we should also consider the reality, 64-bit is a trend, but now whether to experience it in person, we must make a good calculation. Of course, if you haven't made up your mind not to idle your computer, we can install 32-bit Windows 7 on 64-bit hardware to experience it, but if our hardware is 32-bit, it is absolutely impossible to install 64-bit Windows 7, which is the legendary "backward compatibility".