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What is it?
32-bit and 64-bit refer to the size (or width) of a chunk of memory or more accurately, the memory registers in a computer's CPU - this defines how much data the processor can handle in a single operation. So what does that mean? Well, the two main characteristics of the AMD64 architecture are:
Memory
A 32-bit computer has a word size of 32 bits, this limits the memory theoretically to 4GB. This barrier has been extended through the use of 'Physical Address Extension' (or PAE) which increases the limit to 64GB although the memory access above 4GB will be slightly slower. A 64-bit computer will be able to address up to 16.8 million TB (16 exabytes) although constraints are in place that limit this to around 1TB.
Registers
The AMD64 processors have additional general purpose registers which will allow 64-bit code to run faster (in some cases) than its 32-bit cousins.
How to Check
If you are running Linux or have access to Live Linux media, open the terminal prompt and run: g r e pc o l o r = a l w a y si wl m/ p r o c / c p u i n f o If this command returns lm (Long Mode) as one of the flags, then your processor is capable of 64-bit. If you're running Windows, download, install, and run CPU-Z to check for AMD64 (AMD processors) or EM64T (Intel processors).
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2/24/2014
See Also
1. EnablingPAE
External Websites
1. Difference Between 64 Bit & 32 Bit Systems
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/32bit_and_64bit
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