Two questions.

hulk321 · 10-22-2008, 10:47 AM

In simple terms what is the difference between x86 arch and normal one and between 32bit and 64bit.(which one is better and why).

how do i know which kind of laptop i am using?

onebuck · 10-22-2008, 10:48 AM

Hi,

Not to be smart but did you even search either LQ or Google for these questions? This has been covered a lot here on LQ.

As for the Laptop, look at the back, I'm sure there will be a logo and model number on it.

Total-MAdMaN · 10-22-2008, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulk321

In simple terms what is the difference between x86 arch and normal one

Normal one??? Until a few years ago, x86 was considered the norm for desktop PCs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulk321

and between 32bit and 64bit.

One uses 32bits, the other uses 64.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulk321

(which one is better and why).

Neither is "better".

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulk321

how do i know which kind of laptop i am using?

I'm assuming you're not talking about manufacturer, but internals specific to architecture. In that case, the processor.

pixellany · 10-22-2008, 10:56 AM

x86 is a generic term for all Intel and compatible 32-bit processors, starting with the 8086. In this context, I don't know what "normal" would be.

A 32-bit processor handles data and addresses in 32-bit words A 64-bit uses 64-bit words. Unless a program is written for 64-bit, you might never see a difference in performance. One limitation of a 32-bit processor is that it can only directly address 2^32 (4.295 X 10^9) bytes of memory.

Most users do not need anything more than a 32-bit system.

colucix · 10-22-2008, 11:40 AM

Moreover, if you have a Unix system installed on a 32-bit machine, you will use it until 19 January 2038 at 04:14:07. After that date your system will not be usable anymore, due to the limitation in the representation of dates. You will not have this problem on a 64-bit machine. Anyway, I don't think your system will be supported anymore in 2038!

forrestt · 10-22-2008, 11:42 AM

It's been a few years since I took a microprocessor class, but I don't think an 8086 was 32-bit (it was 16-bit if I remember correctly). As far as which is better, more bits will always be better. The reason for this is that you can address more memory locations, have a much larger instruction set, and deal with larger numbers per instruction. Of course, the applications have to be compiled to support the increased number of bits for it to really be useful.

Forrest

colucix · 10-22-2008, 11:54 AM

Forrest, you are right. The 8086 was a 16-bit processor. 32-bit was introduced with 80386.