Intel 'Core 2'

[X-Trade]

I don't know if this comes as a surprise to anyone else. I work in computing and have spent a large portion of my life using computers to a high level, but I only found out this yesterday:

All of Intel's 'Core 2' processors are 64-bit. Not emulated 64-bit, but actually entirely 64-bit processing architectures.

They never seemed to make a big thing about it, just seem to have snook it in. Not that it really benefits many people because the majority of computers sold are still running 32-bit operating systems. The added/enforced security features and driver signing limitations on 64-bit operating systems are stalling development of 64 bit computing. at least Intel are putting the effort in.

[Timo]

I knew Core2 used a 64-bit system so I also bought 64-bit Vista to use on it at the same time, this was long before Win7 was released or even beta'd for that matter. I was careful to ascertain that both 64-bit and Windows Vista drivers were already available for all my core components and peripherals, such as my soundcard (Motu Traveler), printer, et al. The only piece of hardware I cannot use on a native 64-bit Windows Vista OS was my older USB scanner - and that wasn't a 32/64bit issue, but merely because it was designed for XP and not for Vista.

However I used 32-bit Windows XP on the same system (dual boot) for a long time and didn't notice any real performance difference between the two operating systems (XP-32 and V-64). All my 32-bit programs ran perfectly well on a 32-bit Windows XP operating system despite the Core2 hardware system being 64-bit. In otherwords, you can run a 32-bit operating system on a 64-bit hardware system. In fact, last time I looked, most laptops/PCs from PC World, Dell, etc. sold Vista/Win7 32-bit operating system versions as default even though the hardware natively fully supports 64-bit usage.

Even on a native 64-bit operating system, a lot of applications still have to run in 32-bit mode, aka "x86", which is why you have two Program Files folders on a 64-bit OS - one for native 64-bit called "Program Files" and another for 32-bit programs called "Program Files x86".

The full transition from 32- to 64-bit OS and software will take years. There were so many programs that were natively written for 32 bit systems (x86) that it will take decades until they are completely superseded and written out of history in terms of actual day-to-day usage, when 100% all programmers fully embrace native 64-bit support and/or x86 programs become obsolete/unobtainable/unusable.

Even now, the vast majority of my applications installed on my 64-bit (aka 64x) system are still x86 based and work perfectly well in the 64-bit domain so long as they are compatible with Vista (which is an OS issue, not a bit-related issue).

[Timo]

Well i think you have good knowledge of processor.Can you explain me what is big different beetwin duel core and core i series processor.I can't understand what is the main point which is make difference both of them.

You mean Core, Core-2 and Core-i?

Intel "Core" (version 1) was the successor of the Pentium-M (often branded under the umbrella of "Centrino" at the time). 'Core' was a 32-bit processor/architecture and had one or two cores (Core-Solo or Core-Duo respectively). Like the Pentium M (Centrino), it was originally designed for laptop usage only. Used SSE3 instruction set.

"Core 2" broke into the mainstream desktop PC usage as well as laptop usage. It was a native 64-bit processor/architecture. The architecture was more efficient than Core (1) allowing increased performance while using less power. One-, two- or four-core variants were available (Core 2 Solo, Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad respectively). Latter Core 2 processors used the SSE4.1 instruction set

"Core i" is a large evolutionary extension from Core 2. It does away with the older FSB (Front Side Bus) architecture, instead sporting the newer point-to-point Northbridge/Southbridge communication system called DMI (Direct Media Interface) architecture. "IntelSmartCache" techology also replaces the older "L2 cache". They also use the SSE 4.2 instruction set. 'Core i' is split into three versions:
• Core i3 is the low-end processor utilising two cores (duo) and also has onboard integrated GPU (graphics processor).
• Core i5 is the mid-range processor with higher clock rates. It's different to Core i3 in that it has TurboBoost, which can overclock individual cores when other unused cores are using less power, and some later i5 processor models support HyperThreading, allowing one core to process two threads. Duo and Quad variants are available. Some models have integrated GPU.
• Core i7 is the high-end processor with higher clock rates. It sports TurboBoost and HyperThreading as standard. Duo- and quad-core variants are available (as was an early six-core variant at one point). Some models have integrated GPU.