eli5: difference between 32 bit and 64 bit OS.

Question

eli5: difference between 32 bit and 64 bit OS.

In: 6

Answer 1

An address pointer in a 32-bit operating system is 32 bits long. In a 64-bit one, it’s 64 bits long. Of course, some hardware (CPU chips) only support 32 bits and others 32 and 64.

64-bit programs are bigger, because the addresses are bigger, but they can support more memory, both virtual and physical.