32bit apps under Win 7 x64 - CPU impact?

[Herr_Koos]

Hi all,

I finally took the plunge and got my very own Win 7 Professional x64, after running the beta, RC, and 90-day Enterprise trial. One thing I've noticed compared to the 32-bit versions is that my overall CPU utilization seems to be a notch higher than before. The majority of my apps are obviously 32-bit.

Is there a known reason for 32bit apps causing higher CPU utilization under a 64bit OS? Or is this just a case of waiting for Windows to settle down? I know it does indexing and various other optimizations for the first few hours/days after installation.

Any insight/similar experiences will be appreciated. Thanks!

Herr_Koos

 

[Ijack]

You might like to read this MSDN article to get the full lowdown on the subject. I can't see any reason why there should be significantly more CPU usage on an x86_64 system (although there would be on an Itanium one) as it is running the 32-bit code natively.

I can't say that I have noticed any difference on my PC with XP64 or Windows 7 64. If anything, the 64-bit systems have always felt abit "snappier" than the 32-bit one.

 

[number13]

Intel runs 32 apps with an emulator, so I been told, I'm running AMD which doesn't need it, so I can't see the hit, although it's got to be miinor for you

 

[Ijack]

Intel runs 32 apps with an emulator, so I been told, I'm running AMD which doesn't need it, so I can't see the hit, although it's got to be miinor for you

I'm afraid that you have been misinformed (unless by Intel you mean the Itanium - I don't think that Windows 7 is available for the Itanium processor). The AMD and Intel x86_64 processors are, to all intents and purposes, identical from a programming viewpoint.

 

[Herr_Koos]

Thanks for the link ijack, will have a peek. I have an Athlon X2 5600, by the way. I have a hunch that I'll need to bump up the RAM, only got 2GB at the moment.

 

[Ijack]

I'd go for 4GB at least. As long as you're doing nothing too demanding then that's plenty enough.