Why would you want a 64 bit microprocessor, especially in a personal system? (19
11 hours ago
- #64-bit computing
- #microprocessor architecture
- #memory addressing
- John Mashey's 1991 article explains the significance of 64-bit microprocessors, predicting their wide adoption by 1995, particularly for internet infrastructure, low-cost devices like the Nintendo N64, and various embedded systems.
- The article clarifies that '64-bit' refers to integer register width (R), which enables larger integer processing and virtual address space expansion, crucial for performance and handling large memory spaces.
- Applications benefiting from 64-bit computing include operating systems (faster memory operations), graphics (improved raster graphics), cryptography, financial calculations, databases (handling large files), video, images, CAD, and geographic information systems.
- Historical lessons from mainframes (IBM S/360), minicomputers (DEC PDP-11), and microprocessors (Intel 8086, Motorola 68000) show that inadequate address bits lead to programming complexities and software incompatibility.
- The need for 64-bit addressing stems from DRAM growth and virtual memory demand, with 32-bit limits becoming problematic by 1993-1994 for servers and desktops, pushing for seamless 32-bit and 64-bit program compatibility.