Can someone explain x64 in layman's terms?

[Lysander]

I've looked at the other threads and read Wikipedia! But what does it MEAN for a CPU to be 64 bit and what does it mean for one to be 32 bit? So I can understand

Sorry if this is a bit annoying but would like to know.

 

[Steve Watford]

64 Bit you can get 128GB of RAM
32 Bit you can get 4GB of RAM
64 Bit uses different kernels and stuff (don't ask me how)

Only real difference I actually know.

 

[Burnsy2023]

It's basically the length of the instructions that the processor can deal with.

Have a look at this: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/microprocessor6.htm

Burnsy

 

[Omnicron]

I imagine it like this. As im a simpleton.

Picture lots of water pipeworks.

if you want the water to go around you can put more pressure and speed it up. but eventually that wont make much differnce

ie: upping the GHZ of a 32bit cpu

to make the information travel much better widen the pipe... so send 64bits at a time instead of 32bits..

probably terrible example

 

[Burnsy2023]

I imagine it like this. As im a simpleton.

Picture lots of water pipeworks.

if you want the water to go around you can put more pressure and speed it up. but eventually that wont make much differnce

ie: upping the GHZ of a 32bit cpu

to make the information travel much better widen the pipe... so send 64bits at a time instead of 32bits..

probably terrible example

I'd probably alter the analogy to say 32 pipes vs 64 pipes, not bad though.

Burnsy