As of June 2010, we see that 46% of all PCs worldwide
running Windows 7 are running a 64-bit edition of Windows 7,
according to Microsoft's data.
That is, nearly half of all PCs running Windows 7 are
running 64-bit. Compared to Windows Vista at 3 and a half
years after launch, only 11% of PCs running Windows Vista
worldwide are running 64-bit. With Windows 7, running a
64-bit OS is becoming the norm.
A primary benefit of 64-bit Windows is the increase in
addressable memory. This makes more "bits" available to
Windows (the OS), which means more information can be
"addressed" at once. 32-bit architectures have a memory
ceiling of 4GB while the 64-bit architecture increases the
memory ceiling to approximately 17.2 billion GB or RAM.
Windows 7 is designed to use up to 192 GB of RAM, a huge
jump compared to limits with all 32-bit systems.
Essentially, 64-bit Windows allows your PC to take advantage
of more memory to do more things. If you are running tons of
apps, you can see a real difference in performance. Aside
from the performance gains, there are also security
enhancements and support for virtualization as well.
The reason for the jump in transition to 64-bit PCs can be
attributed to a few things. The first is the price of memory
has dropped over the last several years making it easier for
OEMs to up the amount of memory in the PCs they ship. And
most major processors in PCs today are capable of running a
64-bit OS. There are also more and more compatible devices
and applications for PCs running 64-bit Windows 7.
Microsoft's OEMs today have also fully embraced 64-bit.
According to Stephen Baker at NPD, 77% of PCs sold at retail
in April 2010 in the U.S. had a 64-bit edition of Windows 7
And businesses are adopting Windows 7 64-bit as well.
According to Gartner, by 2014 75% of all business PCs will
be running a 64-bit edition of Windows. Intel also recently
migrated to 64-bit Windows 7.
To find out what?s compatible with 64-bit Windows 7, you can
visit the Windows 7 Compatibility Center
you easily check 64-bit compatibility on thousands of
devices and applications and get 64-bit driver and software
In addition, to find out if your PC can run a 64-bit edition
of Windows 7, you can run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
If your PC isn?t currently capable of running a 64-bit
edition of Windows 7, the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will let
you know if there are any memory upgrades that might be done
to move to 64-bit.