32Bit >> 64Bit Windows

lurkio said:
Ahhhh , then it wont matter , its the executable that needs to be 64bit as well to address more than 2Gig of memory
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32-bit processes which have been set with the LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE option will have access too 4GB of virtual address space when being executed on a Windows x64 based system and thus, there is a potential of a performance gain there. The maximum address space that a 32-bit process which has been set with the LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE option has access to on a Windows x86 based system is 3GB and that's providing the /3GB switch is in place which in-itself could potentially be harmful to your system. Without both of those though, 32-bit processes are limited to 2GB of virtual address space on a Windows x86 system.

lurkio said:
The compatability layer will slow it down a little
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That's not the reality of things though. 32-bit applications executing on a Windows x64 based system are going to basically run the same as if they were being run on a Windows x86 based system. The following information has been posted before but it highlights the fact that 32-bit applications are going to run the same and for some, there will actually be performance gains when being run on a Windows x64 based system.

Microsoft said:
WOW64:

The WOW64 subsystem provides a high-performance 32-bit Windows environment that enables x64 Windows to take full advantage of the more than 10,000 existing 32-bit Windows applications available today. Because of the underlying hardware compatibility of the x64 architecture, 32-bit applications are able to run at full speed in the WOW64 subsystem. Many applications will actually run faster in WOW64 than they would run in 32-bit Windows because of the larger available memory address space and the greater efficiencies of the x64 processor architecture.

WOW64 isolates 32-bit applications from 64-bit applications, but it provides for interoperability and data exchange across the boundary through COM and remote procedure call (RPC) and through transparent cut and paste. WOW64 runs 32-bit applications seamlessly while preventing file and registry collisions between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of an application.
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Benefits of Microsoft Windows x64 Editions
 
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