Assuming a fairly fast CPU (Dual Core 2.9 Ghz) and 4 GB of RAM, will the typical 32 bit app run at : Faster Slower Same speed on the 64 bit Windows 7 than on the 32 bit version?

3 Answers

It will run slightly slower as it has to be run through WoW64 emulation. The difference is probably not significant enough for you to notice, but it is there.

1

In fact, some applications may run faster. The system itself will have more efficient drivers. x86-64 requires no emulation of 32bit applications, the processor can run 32bit apps natively. Wikipedia actually has a good technical explanation.

It's a very contentious and fact-specific issue. There is no one right answer.

No emulation is required for normal code, only on system calls. For most applications, system calls are a miniscule fraction of their resource consumption. So one would expect it to be very, very close to identical in most realistic cases.

If the system has 4GB or more, likely the benefits of the extra memory will outweigh the slight overhead of translating on system calls. 32-bit Windows 7 is limited to about 3.5GB. The extra memory forms a larger disk cache, and disk I/O is more expensive than almost anything else a typical system does.

2

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Sign up using Google Sign up using Facebook Sign up using Email and Password Submit

Post as a guest

Post Your Answer Discard

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy