Many Windows users are unaware of something as basic as what version their PC is on, i.e. whether it is 32-bit or 64-bit. It might seem like a minor issue, but it is not, as it is important when installing certain applications. So, How do I know how many bits my PC has?
Finding out this information is relatively easy, as it can be done from the system itself, without having to install any external program. However, the information will not be of much use to us if we do not know the real differences between one version and another. We will also explain that in this post.
What are computer bits?
Bits are the unit of basic information about a computer. In addition to representing this information at a binary level, they serve to determine the architecture of a system (32 or 64 bits), measure the data transmission speed (Mbps or Gbps) and define the processing capacity of the hardware and the operating system itself. In addition, they also serve to establish the level of security strength in data encryption.
Method to know how many bits my PC has
In Windows there are two native methods to know how many bits a PC has. They are the following:
In the System menu
- First, we right click on the Windows Start menu.
- Then we select the option "System".
- Finally, in the section "About" we go down to the line "Type of system", where the version type (32-bit or 64-bit) is displayed.
From System Information
- To begin with, we use the key combination Windows + R, which opens the Run box.
- In the box, we write the command msinfo32 and press Enter.
- Finally, in the new window that is displayed, we look for the option "Type of system", where we see one of these two options: x64-based PC o x32-based PC.
It should also be mentioned that there are other methods to obtain this information thanks to the use of external programs. One of the most recommended to make this query is CPU-ZThis is a software capable of not only offering us the data of the bits of our system, but also many other details related to the hardware of our computer.
Differences between 32-bit and 64-bit
Now that we know how many bits a PC has, after following the method explained in the previous section, there is still the task of understand the differences between both versions. This can help us a lot when deciding which one to adopt. Basically, these differences revolve around the processing power, the amount of memory it is able to manage and the overall performance of the system.
Let's see it in more detail in the following comparison:
RAM memory capacity
- 32-bit: A 32-bit system supports a maximum of 4 GB of RAM.
- 64-bit: A 64-bit system can handle a more RAM, theoretically up to 2 TB of RAM.
Performance and processing speed
- 32-bit: A 32-bit system can process 4 bytes of data in each clock cycle, which is sufficient for basic tasks such as web browsing and office automation.
- 64-bit: A 64-bit system has the ability to process twice as much data (8 bytes) in the same clock cycle. This translates into greater processing speed that allows us to work with more demanding programs and enjoy high-end games.
System security
- 32 bit: Its security features are basic, do not have the advanced features of 64-bit systems.
- 64 bits: Include additional security features, such as Data Execution Protection (DEP) or Secure Boot. They also have longer encryption keys, which makes these systems more difficult to breach.
Compatible software
- 32-bit: These operating systems can only run on 32-bit hardware and, only in some cases, on 64-bit hardware.
- 64 bits: Can run both 64-bit and 32-bit applicationsHowever, it should be noted that a 64-bit application cannot run on a 32-bit system.
Operating System
- 32-bit: Limited to older computers or basic devices. 32-bit versions of Windows are being discontinued.
64-bit: Almost all high performance applications, except for the basic ones, are only available in 64 bits.
Real presence on current devices
- 32-bit: Virtually all 32-bit systems (doomed to disappear over time) are found in old computers and basic systems.
- 64 bits: It is the current standard for most computers and mobile devices that go on the market.
To sum up, we can say that 64-bit systems are clearly superior to 32-bit systems in almost all aspects: memory capacity, performance, security... For this reason, they are the option that we will find in most modern computers to ensure a faster and more efficient user experience.