Skip to Content
Inside the Machine
book

Inside the Machine

by Jon Stokes
December 2006
Beginner
320 pages
11h 17m
English
No Starch Press
Content preview from Inside the Machine

What Is 64-Bit Computing?

Simply put, the labels 16-bit, 32-bit, or 64-bit, when applied to a microprocessor, characterize the processor’s data stream. You may have heard the term 64-bit code; this designates code that operates on 64-bit data.

In more specific terms, the labels 64-bit, 32-bit, and so on designate the number of bits that each of the processor’s general-purpose registers (GPRs) can hold. So when someone uses the term 64-bit processor, what they mean is a processor with GPRs that store 64-bit numbers. And in the same vein, a 64-bit instruction is an instruction that operates on 64-bit numbers that are stored in 64-bit GPRs.

Figure 9-1 shows two computers, one a 32-bit computer and the other a 64-bit computer.

In Figure 9-1, I’ve tried ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

AirBnbBlueOriginElectronic ArtsHomeDepotNasdaqRakutenTata Consultancy Services

QuotationMarkO’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
Julian F.
Head of Cybersecurity
QuotationMarkI wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.
Addison B.
Field Engineer
QuotationMarkI’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.
Amir M.
Data Platform Tech Lead
QuotationMarkI'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
Mark W.
Embedded Software Engineer

You might also like

Dive Into Systems

Dive Into Systems

Suzanne J. Matthews, Tia Newhall, Kevin C. Webb
Computer Organization and Design

Computer Organization and Design

John L. Hennessy, David A. Patterson

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781593271046Errata