While many users know what Windows is and what an operating system is, not many are aware of the differences in architecture. You may see this more often when downloading new programs as they are usually labeled x86 or x64.
How can I tell if my Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit?
- Press Start
- Select configuration
- Go to system
- Go to system overview
- Select About
This page will display all the basic information about your PC, including information about the processor, installed RAM, etc. Also, you will be able to see if your Windows installation is a 32-bit or 64-bit version.
In addition, you also get information about the type of processor the PC uses. In the above case, the processor could allow a 32-bit version of Windows as well as a 64-bit version.
If the processor were 32-bit, the PC could only run a 32-bit version of Windows, which in turn would only allow 32-bit programs.
But what exactly is the difference between a 32-bit version of Windows and a 64-bit version?
Differences between a 32-bit and a 64-bit Windows
In terms of performance, 64-bit systems are much more capable. Not only can they handle more computational processes at once, up to around four billion times the physical memory of a 32-bit processor.
Additionally, the different architecture allows PCs to handle available RAM as well. For example, 32-bit versions of Windows are perfect for handling 4GB of RAM or less, but anything above 4 is better handled with 64-bit systems.
In the case of Microsoft Windows, the basic versions of operating systems impose software limitations on the amount of RAM that an application can use. Still, 4GB is the maximum usable memory that the 32-bit version can handle.
If you really want to take advantage of the new architecture, you will need to access software specifically designed with that in mind. A good example is games that are known to require a lot of system resources to run efficiently.
Furthermore, this also applies to image editing or 3D editing programs. In general, 64-bit versions of Windows are best used with programs that require immediate access to information.
If you want to read about more basic Windows 10 terminologies, please let us know by commenting in the section below.
