Based on your specification, your computer should be Win7 64-bit ready.
About time you unlock the full potential of your hardware
Your processor is x86-x64, or as we call 64-bit. Basically it's a modified x86 architecture from Intel, made by AMD, to support 64-bit instructions. This allow us to run both 32, and 64-bit instructions at the same time, allowing us to run 32-bit and 64-bit programs perfectly (at a theory level).
True 64-bit processors can only execute 64-bit instructions.
To ensure maximum software compatibility in Windows, so that 100% of 32-bit applications (assuming that they are well programed to support Win7 in the first place) runs perfectly under a 64-bit environment, Microsoft uses Windows-On-Windows or WOW64 if you prefer the shorter version.
Basically, its all Windows 32-bit library files, and executable that a program can use, included, hence why Windows 64-bit if much bigger in size than Windows 32-bit.
Going 64-bit will provide you with the following benefits:
- More overall performance even on 32-bit applications, as you have the OS in 64-bit, which is heavy and demanding enough so that it really maters.
- Able to address 4GB of RAM and more (up to 16 ExaBytes - (Windows 7 supports up to 192GB Pro/Enterprise/Ultimate edition or 16GB for Home Edition). That is 17 179 869 184 GB of RAM goodness.). Fun fact: As this huge number sounds way over the top, the same was said about the 4GB limit that we face today, back in the days when the x86 architecture was made.
- Be able to address 2TB+ HDD drive partition (you were limited because the address for each data block were only 32-bit long, now they are 64-bit long). Please note that your HDD controller might limit 2TB support drive partitions, or the limit can be somewhere else. Not that this limit mathers today, but it's still interesting facts to know.
Hope this was informative.
