In this section we are discussing about 32 & 64 bit operating systems.
What is 32-Bit?
32-bit is a type of CPU architecture which is capable of transferring 32 bits of data. It is the amount of information which can be processed by your CPU whenever it performs an operation. 32-bit system can address a maximum of 232 (4,294,967,296) bytes of RAM. 32-bit hardware and software is often referred to as x86 or x86-32.
What is 64-Bit?
In computer architecture, 64 bit refers to the number of bits which should be processed or transmitted in parallel or the number of bits used for a single element in a data format. A 64-bit microprocessor allows computers to process data and memory address which are represented by 64 bits. A 64-bit register can theoretically reference 264 (18,446,744,073,709,551,616) bytes, or 17,179,869,184 GB (16 Exabytes) of memory. 64-bit hardware and software is often referred to as x64 or x86-64
| Parameter | 32-bit processors | 64-bit processors |
| Addressable space | It has 4 GB addressable space | 64-bit processors have 16 GB addressable space |
| Application support | 64-bit applications and programs won’t work | 32-bit applications and programs will work |
| OS support | Need a 32-bit operating system. | It can run on 32 and the 64-bit operating system. |
| Support for multi-tasking | Not an ideal option for stress testing and multi-tasking. | Works best for performing multi-tasking and stress testing. |
| OS and CPU requirement | 32-bit operating systems and applications require 32-bit CPUs | 64-bit OS demands 64-bit CPU, and 64-bit applications require 64-bit OS and CPU. |
| System available | Support Windows 7, 8 Vista, XP, and, Linux. | Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8,Windows 10, Linux, and Mac OS X. |
| Memory limits | 32-bit systems limited to 3.2 GB of RAM 32 bit Windows. It addresses limitation doesn’t allow you to use full 4GB of Physical memory space. | 64-bit systems will enable you to store up to 17 Billion GB of RAM. |
