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CPU and Performance

Hello,

I know this may sound obvious, but I am looking for some direction. How does a CPU affect performance, and how can a 64bit CPU help a 32bit application when it comes to performance? What can be done to increase performance via the CPU?

For my question, I would be using a Windows 7 (64bit) computer.

Thank you,
John

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redbmaster

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jhieb

ASKER

OK. This makes sense. If I run a 32bit application on a 64bit system then what benefit does the 32bit application have? Is it limited since it is not 64bit? It seems that all new processors are 64bit so perhaps this question does not matter anymore. But, I am still curious how a 32bit application will function on a 64bit processor and if it can take advantage of dual core processors, hyperthreading, and perhaps how a 32bit applicaiton will function on these different types of processors.

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redbmaster

Looking from the aspect of creating an application, making it 32bit will ensure greater compatibility. 32bit apps can run on a 64bit OS, but a 64bit app cannot run on a 32bit OS. Thus making the application 32bit will allow it to run on a 32bit or a 64 bit OS.

This is only relevant if you do not foresee your application needing/using more than 3.5 GB or RAM.

jhieb

ASKER

Are you saying that the 32bit application will use no more than 3.5GB of ram? If this is true then what is the benefit of adding more RAM to Windows 7 (x64)? Is the benefit that Windows will allocate the RAM it needs (outside of the paging file), and then allow the 32bit application use up to its maximum, which is 3.5GB?

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jhieb

ASKER

Thank you very much for this information. It helps out a lot. My application uses the CPU extensively and can bounce it up to 100% quite easily. RAM helps and the hard drive speed helps, too, since TEMP files are used and since many items are stored in memory. <br /><br />Since the application is 32bit, it sounds like I can still take advantage of the 64bit operating system by giving it a minimum configuration, such as 2GB of RAM for its processing. Between that and the other 3.5 GB of RAM, my application should be happy while demanding faster write times from the CPU an faster communication speeds across the LAN/WAN connection.

jhieb

ASKER

I have an additional question. What if I run two or more 32bit applications at the same time and what if these two 32bit applications are transferring data on a 64bit operating system. Does each application get 3.5 GB of data if it is available? Would Windows 7 (x64) designate different CPU's for the programs or will both applications use the same CPU? How is this determined?