{"id":485,"date":"2009-09-17T08:50:21","date_gmt":"2009-09-17T14:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.natsci.colostate.edu\/cnsit\/?p=485"},"modified":"2020-12-07T12:48:25","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T19:48:25","slug":"32-bit-vs-64-bit-what-should-i-get","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnsit.colostate.edu\/kb\/32-bit-vs-64-bit-what-should-i-get\/","title":{"rendered":"32 bit vs. 64 bit \u2013 what should I get?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The official Microsoft explanation states that \u201cThe terms 32-bit<\/em> and 64-bit<\/em> refer to the way a computer\u2019s processor (also called a CPU<\/em>), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system.\u201d (http:\/\/windowshelp.microsoft.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Essentially, what this means is that a 32 bit operating system works better when you have a small amount of memory (RAM) and 64 bit operating systems work better with large amounts of RAM.\u00a0 So, what is a large amount of RAM?\u00a0 The answer to this question changes every year.\u00a0 At the time of this writing, 4GB or more is considered a large amount of RAM.\u00a0 Conveniently, this is also the realistic boundary at which you will choose one or the other architecture.\u00a0 If your computer has at least 4GB of RAM, choose a 64 bit OS.\u00a0 Any less and you should stick with 32 bit.<\/p>\n

Here are some other FAQs related to 32 bit vs 64 bit computing:<\/p>\n