What is 64 bit processor?
Operating systems have been based on a 32 bit design throughout most of the history of personal computers. However, 32 bit operating systems can only support 4 gigabytes of RAM. This constraint means that users interested in performance are migrating to 64 bit operating systems, but these new operating systems also require a 64 bit processor.DesignA 64 bit processor is a processor which can reference a memory address length 64 bits long. A 64 bit processor can address up to 192 gigabytes of memory.HistoryProcessors with 64 bit designs have existed since the 1970s, but were used only in supercomputers. The first mainstream use of 64 bit processors was Advanced Micro Device’s x86-64 instruction set, which resulted in the AMD 64 processors.AMD 64 Bit ProcessorsThe first 64 bit processor from AMD was released in 2003. Virtually all AMD processors were 64 bit processors by 2004, and today, AMD does not sell any processor which is not a 64 bit processor.Intel 64 Bit ProcessorsIntel’s first 6
