Have you found yourself
wondering why this particular computing buzzword is so prominently
featured on your new hardware, and what exactly it means?
Modern computing has been shifting towards 64-bit for a few years now, and it has saturated the market to a point where even entry-level computers/mobiles are equipped with these new, more powerful processors. Even with the manufacturers pushing the new CPUs, your computer/mobile may not be able to take full advantage of the technology, and getting to that point may cost you more money in software than it’s worth.
What are bits?
The number of bits in a processor refers to the size of the data types that it handles and the size of its registry. A 64-bit processor is capable of storing 264 computational values, including memory addresses, which means it’s able to access over four billion times as much physical memory than a 32-bit processor!
Software and Drivers
Applications with high performance demands already take advantage of the increase in available memory, with companies releasing 64-bit versions of their programs.
This is especially useful on programs that can store a lot of information for immediate access, like image editing and software that opens multiple large files at the same time.
Video games are also uniquely equipped to take advantage of 64-bit processing and the increased memory that comes with it. Being able to handle more computations at once means more spaceships on screen without lagging and smoother performance from your graphics card, which doesn’t have to share memory with other processes anymore.
Most software is backwards compatible, allowing you to run applications that are 32-bit in a 64-bit environment without any extra work or issues. Virus protection software and drivers tend to be the exception to this rule, with hardware mostly requiring the proper version be installed in order to function correctly.
The whole reason I decided to gather this information into one place is because more than 95% of smartphones use the ARM instruction set architecture (ISA).
ARM Holdings licenses both the CPUs using this ISA, and the ISA itself. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI) licenses both for use in our Snapdragon processors. Here’s why that’s good:
The fact that so many phones use the same ISA is good for developers, and good for the people who use their apps. To get the best performance out of an application, most developers compile the code for the target platform, in this case ARM. That’s why most apps in Google Play target the current ARM instruction set, ARMv7-A.
By compiling the code for their target platform, developers can be sure the user experience is exactly what they mean it to be.
The benefits include smoother gameplay and faster performance. The graph below shows the difference between native ARM apps, and those translated to x86. Jank is an official Android term for stutters on screen that interrupt smooth animations. The less jank, the smoother the experience:
The next ISA, ARMv8-A, will add 64-bit support but will
also be completely backward-compatible with the 32-bit ARMv7-A, so rest
assured that users and developers alike will continue to reap the
aforementioned benefits. The Cortex A57 and A53 CPUs are the first
implementations of ARMv8-A, and they’ll deliver more performance than
their A15 and A9 predecessors.
Snapdragon processors will use ARMv8-A CPUs and ISA. The upcoming Snapdragon 810 will use the ARM Cortex A57 and A53.
The thing is, a mobile processor is so much more than a CPU. Snapdragon processors integrate the essential technologies to enable great mobile experiences; technologies like an LTE-Advanced modem, GPU, DSP, and a lot more. It’s a comprehensive package, an entire system right there on a chip. That way our processors can choose the right engine for the right job. We call it heterogeneous computing, and it is designed to make for better performance and more efficient battery usage.
Snapdragon processors deploy a combination of our custom Qualcomm® Krait™ CPU architecture, alongside the standard ARM-designed CPUs. Today, the entry-level Cortex-A CPUs provide reliable, economical performance, while the Krait family of custom CPUs are designed to create a significant increase in performance efficiency in the high-end phones and tablets segments.
The flexibility of being able to license the ARM instruction set or the Cortex CPUs allows us to build and offer a full and diverse product portfolio. Just like our all-in-one processors, we need the right tools for the right jobs. Snapdragon processors with integrated 64-bit ARM CPUs, when combined with the benefits of the ARM ecosystem and the many other custom technology blocks, will completely change the next generation of user experiences. For the best.
Here are some examples of scaling features and capabilities across the tiers of 64-bit Snapdragon processors:
Every company launching a phone nowadays will like to
tell you that its new shiny device is powered by a 64-bit processor. It
is not just a specification, listed in the hardware configuration for
the phone. The fact that a phone has a 64-bit processor is, according to
phone companies, is a big deal. Apparently, it is such a big deal that
even Apple sang 64-bit paeans when it introduced the A6 processor.
But is it really so important? Should you, the consumer, buy a phone just because it has "64-bit processor"?
Well, to understand what is 64-bit technology and why you should or should not care about it, we reached out David Kanter, editor of RealWorldtech, a website that covers news related to processors and semiconductor technology.
What is a 64-bit processor?
In simple words, 64-bit processors are computer chips that can support 64-bit computing. And by 64-bit computing we mean software supports 64-bit virtual memory addresses.
"The biggest difference between 32-bit and 64-bit CPUs is that a 32-bit CPU can only see 4GB of virtual memory. In practice, the OS will probably reserve 1-2GB itself, so applications are limited to around 2GB of virtual memory. Generally, we want the virtual memory to be more than 2 times the size of the physical memory, so if you have a smartphone or tablet with 2GB of memory, it would be great to have a 64-bit operating system."
So, what is the takeaway from this? Don't believe when a phone company tells you the 64-bit computer is significantly faster than the 32-bit. This is mostly a misleading statement.
The 64-bit processors, when paired with 64-bit software, can utilise memory better. But in terms of pure performance, they may or may not be better than 32-bit processors.
Should you care about 64-bit processors in a phone?
"In reality, 64-bits won't make a huge difference to customers. It's primarily relevant for high-end smartphones. But even for high-end phones and tablets, it's not going to be revolutionary. Most phones still have less than 2GB of memory, especially once we start talking about mid-range and low-end phones".
But it should matter to developers "I should note that 64-bits definitely does make a difference to programmers, and they should be much happier with 64-bit CPUs and OSes. But that isn't quite as visible to consumers".
Should you a buy phone that has 64-bit processors?
if you are buying a high-end phone, it makes sense to buy the one that has 64-bit processor. "The 64-bit CPUs are important for devices (smartphones, tablets) with 2GB or more of memory. Right now, that's mostly high-end devices. But Moore's Law tells us that in two or three years, that much memory will be far more common and 64-bit will become increasingly important. So I'd say that 64-bit is important for high-end devices today".
But wait, there are other factors as well...
So we have established that the 64-bit processors can help consumers get more out of their phone, although these gains are evolutionary and revolutionary, unlike what phone companies will like us to believe. But the problem is before consumers can get the benefits of 64-bit processors, a lot of other things need to fall in place. Keeping this in mind, here are few important points that you should know:
-- A 64-bit processor without 64-bit support in the operating system is just like a 32-bit processor. In the world of Android for now, you get support for 64-bit computing only if your phone is running Android Lollipop and that too if the phone maker has enabled the support for the 64-bit computing.
-- If a phone has 64-bit processor but less than 2GB RAM, the 64-bit support is just marketing talk.
-- Good performance gains with 64-bit processors won't come until app developers start writing apps for 64-bit computing. For now that is not happening.
So Finally :
1. 64-bit phones will do everything better and last longer.
2. 64-bit phones can handle more memory.
3. 64-bit phones run your existing apps faster.
4. 64-bit phones should be more secure.
5. 64-bit processors will include some real screamers.
6. You won’t really have a choice.
Modern computing has been shifting towards 64-bit for a few years now, and it has saturated the market to a point where even entry-level computers/mobiles are equipped with these new, more powerful processors. Even with the manufacturers pushing the new CPUs, your computer/mobile may not be able to take full advantage of the technology, and getting to that point may cost you more money in software than it’s worth.
What are bits?
The number of bits in a processor refers to the size of the data types that it handles and the size of its registry. A 64-bit processor is capable of storing 264 computational values, including memory addresses, which means it’s able to access over four billion times as much physical memory than a 32-bit processor!
Software and Drivers
Applications with high performance demands already take advantage of the increase in available memory, with companies releasing 64-bit versions of their programs.
This is especially useful on programs that can store a lot of information for immediate access, like image editing and software that opens multiple large files at the same time.
Video games are also uniquely equipped to take advantage of 64-bit processing and the increased memory that comes with it. Being able to handle more computations at once means more spaceships on screen without lagging and smoother performance from your graphics card, which doesn’t have to share memory with other processes anymore.
Most software is backwards compatible, allowing you to run applications that are 32-bit in a 64-bit environment without any extra work or issues. Virus protection software and drivers tend to be the exception to this rule, with hardware mostly requiring the proper version be installed in order to function correctly.
The whole reason I decided to gather this information into one place is because more than 95% of smartphones use the ARM instruction set architecture (ISA).
ARM Holdings licenses both the CPUs using this ISA, and the ISA itself. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI) licenses both for use in our Snapdragon processors. Here’s why that’s good:
The fact that so many phones use the same ISA is good for developers, and good for the people who use their apps. To get the best performance out of an application, most developers compile the code for the target platform, in this case ARM. That’s why most apps in Google Play target the current ARM instruction set, ARMv7-A.
By compiling the code for their target platform, developers can be sure the user experience is exactly what they mean it to be.
The benefits include smoother gameplay and faster performance. The graph below shows the difference between native ARM apps, and those translated to x86. Jank is an official Android term for stutters on screen that interrupt smooth animations. The less jank, the smoother the experience:
Snapdragon processors will use ARMv8-A CPUs and ISA. The upcoming Snapdragon 810 will use the ARM Cortex A57 and A53.
The thing is, a mobile processor is so much more than a CPU. Snapdragon processors integrate the essential technologies to enable great mobile experiences; technologies like an LTE-Advanced modem, GPU, DSP, and a lot more. It’s a comprehensive package, an entire system right there on a chip. That way our processors can choose the right engine for the right job. We call it heterogeneous computing, and it is designed to make for better performance and more efficient battery usage.
Snapdragon processors deploy a combination of our custom Qualcomm® Krait™ CPU architecture, alongside the standard ARM-designed CPUs. Today, the entry-level Cortex-A CPUs provide reliable, economical performance, while the Krait family of custom CPUs are designed to create a significant increase in performance efficiency in the high-end phones and tablets segments.
The flexibility of being able to license the ARM instruction set or the Cortex CPUs allows us to build and offer a full and diverse product portfolio. Just like our all-in-one processors, we need the right tools for the right jobs. Snapdragon processors with integrated 64-bit ARM CPUs, when combined with the benefits of the ARM ecosystem and the many other custom technology blocks, will completely change the next generation of user experiences. For the best.
Here are some examples of scaling features and capabilities across the tiers of 64-bit Snapdragon processors:
But is it really so important? Should you, the consumer, buy a phone just because it has "64-bit processor"?
Well, to understand what is 64-bit technology and why you should or should not care about it, we reached out David Kanter, editor of RealWorldtech, a website that covers news related to processors and semiconductor technology.
What is a 64-bit processor?
In simple words, 64-bit processors are computer chips that can support 64-bit computing. And by 64-bit computing we mean software supports 64-bit virtual memory addresses.
"The biggest difference between 32-bit and 64-bit CPUs is that a 32-bit CPU can only see 4GB of virtual memory. In practice, the OS will probably reserve 1-2GB itself, so applications are limited to around 2GB of virtual memory. Generally, we want the virtual memory to be more than 2 times the size of the physical memory, so if you have a smartphone or tablet with 2GB of memory, it would be great to have a 64-bit operating system."
So, what is the takeaway from this? Don't believe when a phone company tells you the 64-bit computer is significantly faster than the 32-bit. This is mostly a misleading statement.
The 64-bit processors, when paired with 64-bit software, can utilise memory better. But in terms of pure performance, they may or may not be better than 32-bit processors.
Should you care about 64-bit processors in a phone?
"In reality, 64-bits won't make a huge difference to customers. It's primarily relevant for high-end smartphones. But even for high-end phones and tablets, it's not going to be revolutionary. Most phones still have less than 2GB of memory, especially once we start talking about mid-range and low-end phones".
But it should matter to developers "I should note that 64-bits definitely does make a difference to programmers, and they should be much happier with 64-bit CPUs and OSes. But that isn't quite as visible to consumers".
Should you a buy phone that has 64-bit processors?
if you are buying a high-end phone, it makes sense to buy the one that has 64-bit processor. "The 64-bit CPUs are important for devices (smartphones, tablets) with 2GB or more of memory. Right now, that's mostly high-end devices. But Moore's Law tells us that in two or three years, that much memory will be far more common and 64-bit will become increasingly important. So I'd say that 64-bit is important for high-end devices today".
But wait, there are other factors as well...
So we have established that the 64-bit processors can help consumers get more out of their phone, although these gains are evolutionary and revolutionary, unlike what phone companies will like us to believe. But the problem is before consumers can get the benefits of 64-bit processors, a lot of other things need to fall in place. Keeping this in mind, here are few important points that you should know:
-- A 64-bit processor without 64-bit support in the operating system is just like a 32-bit processor. In the world of Android for now, you get support for 64-bit computing only if your phone is running Android Lollipop and that too if the phone maker has enabled the support for the 64-bit computing.
-- If a phone has 64-bit processor but less than 2GB RAM, the 64-bit support is just marketing talk.
-- Good performance gains with 64-bit processors won't come until app developers start writing apps for 64-bit computing. For now that is not happening.
So Finally :
1. 64-bit phones will do everything better and last longer.
2. 64-bit phones can handle more memory.
3. 64-bit phones run your existing apps faster.
4. 64-bit phones should be more secure.
5. 64-bit processors will include some real screamers.
6. You won’t really have a choice.
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