silly question re hardware

[andybleaden]

I see lots of mention of 64 bit and 32 bit pcs..etc...how do I tell what is mine and whats the difference..in real plain talk

[Snowhog]

Re: silly question re hardware

Well, the first method would be to just look at the documentation that came with your PC. What does it say under Specifications?

If you have Kubuntu installed (assuming you do, as you are posting here), open a console and type:

sudo lshw | more

(just copy and paste the code above)
When the first screen of data pauses (you see the --more-- at the bottom left of the screen), look at the top of the listing for the line that begins with width:

This is what mine looks like:

laptop
description: Notebook
product: Satellite P105
vendor: TOSHIBA
version: PSPAAU-01K00S
serial: 17076140W
width: 32 bits

This tells you if you have a 32- or 64-bit processor. Mine is a 32-bit.

[walfred]

Re: silly question re hardware

All right, I'll try. Keeping it simple.

I little history: some of the first popular microprocessor were Intel 8080 and its successor 8086 (see similarity with i386?).
And those guys were able to "process" instructions in machine language at every 8-bits, that's why came the concept of byte.
Each 8 bits the processor reads were considered an instruction to be executed.
So, we could say
"sum" -> instruction
"8" -> 1st operand
"200" -> 2nd operand

As a result, we get 208. Everything that is inside quotes above is actually information stored in memory, and that information has to be "sliced" in chunks of 8 bits.
Easy?

You may ask "hey, you mean those processors could not handle arithmetics above 255?" (8-bits can represent numbers from 0 to 255 in decimal base)
Yes, they could because there was special instructions. For instance, let's do 1023+512:
"sum+" -> special instruction
"102" -> 1st chunk of 1st operand
"3" -> 2nd chunk of 1st operand
"51" -> 1st chunk of 2nd operand
"2" -> 2nd chunk of 2nd operand

Of course, I gave you an example using decimal base, the processors can only handle binary base (zeros and ones)
You may see above that even in those times there was the need for something bigger than bytes, so came the concept of word.
Some implemented word as 2 bytes, some as 4.
There is no standard, so word losses popularity for bits/bytes and its multiples.

Anyway, it is clear that the need for memory was amazing, even in those very simple operations.
That's why came along time new machines handling instructions and data at chunks of 16-bits, then 32, 64, 128, etc. That way we have more instructions and we can handle larger amounts of data easier.
For personal computers, 32-bits were nice for a long time, but games, multimedia and internet have pushed to 64-bits.
NOTE: some believes silicon have been exhausted, so improving microprocessors at higher speeds than 4GHz is not possible using silicon. That means to keep selling, corporations now have to improve design (dual core, quad core, low heat, etc) and efficiency (using 64-bits and so on)

Servers and consoles are running 64 bits and higher long, long time a go...

How was it?

[andybleaden]

Re: silly question re hardware

Wow

Read it twice and it is starting to make sense. I have been using computers on and off since sinclair products back in 1981 then bbc basic then macs then pcs than at last got a system I like...I just never got the split between 32/64 bit but now I do...many thanks walfred in taking the time to explain it to me

and many thanks also snowhog

I will try running the command later today and print out what I get..I am assuming already having read walfred's info that my pc will be

The last screen shot I had posted on the ubuntu forums when I set up a conky script I do not think answers it. I have since upgraded to hardy and will replace this script

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...59#post4642659

thanks both of you

[andybleaden]

Re: silly question re hardware

right ...well I did as shown as this was the read out so I am assuming I have a 32 bit pc right?

description: Desktop Computer
product: PROD00000000
vendor: OEM00000
width: 32 bits
capabilities: smbios-2.3 dmi-2.3 smp-1.4 smp
configuration: boot=normal chassis=desktop cpus=1 uuid=00000000-0000-0000-00
00-00508D61B408
*-core
description: Motherboard
product: VA-10 (VIA KM400-VT8235)
vendor: http://www.abit.com.tw/
physical id: 0
version: 1.x
*-firmware
description: BIOS
vendor: Phoenix Technologies, LTD
physical id: 0
version: 6.00 PG (12/03/2003)
size: 128KiB
capacity: 448KiB
capabilities: pci pnp apm upgrade shadowing escd cdboot bootselect soc

capabilities: pci pnp apm upgrade shadowing escd cdboot bootselect soc
ketedrom edd int13floppy360 int13floppy1200 int13floppy720 int13floppy2880 int5p
rintscreen int9keyboard int14serial int17printer int10video acpi usb agp ls120bo
ot zipboot biosbootspecification
*-cpu
description: CPU
product: AMD Athlon(tm)
vendor: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD]
physical id: 4
bus info: cpu@0
version: 6.10.0
slot: Socket A
size: 1263MHz
capacity: 3GHz
width: 32 bits
clock: 101MHz
capabilities: boot fpu fpu_exception wp vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8
apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 mmx fxsr sse syscall mmxext 3dnowext 3dnow
up ts
*-cache:0
description: L1 cache
physical id: 8
slot: Internal Cache
size: 128KiB
capacity: 128KiB
capabilities: synchronous internal write-back
*-cache:1
description: L2 cache
physical id: 9
slot: External Cache
size: 512KiB
capacity: 512KiB
capabilities: synchronous external write-back
*-memory
description: System Memory
physical id: 1a
slot: System board or motherboard
size: 1536MiB
capacity: 2GiB
*-bank:0
description: DIMM
product: None
vendor: None
physical id: 0
serial: None
slot: A0
size: 1GiB
*-bank:1
description: DIMM
product: None
vendor: None
physical id: 1
serial: None
slot: A1
size: 512MiB
*-pci
description: Host bridge
product: VT8378 [KM400/A] Chipset Host Bridge
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 100
bus info: pci@0000:00:00.0
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
configuration: driver=agpgart-via latency=8 module=via_agp
*-pci
description: PCI bridge
product: VT8237 PCI Bridge
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 1
bus info: pci@0000:00:01.0
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
capabilities: pci pm normal_decode bus_master cap_list
*-display UNCLAIMED
description: VGA compatible controller
product: VT8378 [S3 UniChrome] Integrated Video
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:01:00.0
version: 01
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
capabilities: pm agp agp-2.0 vga_controller bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=32 mingnt=2
*-network:0 UNCLAIMED
description: Ethernet controller
product: DWL-510 2.4GHz Wireless PCI Adapter
vendor: D-Link System Inc
physical id: 9
bus info: pci@0000:00:09.0
version: 20
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=32 maxlatency=64 mingnt=32
*-communication UNCLAIMED
description: Communication controller
product: HCF 56k Data/Fax Modem
vendor: Conexant
physical id: a
bus info: pci@0000:00:0a.0
version: 08
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=32
*-usb:0
description: USB Controller
product: VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 10
bus info: pci@0000:00:10.0
version: 80
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm uhci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=32 module=uhci_hcd
*-usb:1
description: USB Controller
product: VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 10.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:10.1
version: 80
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm uhci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=32 module=uhci_hcd
*-usb:2
description: USB Controller
product: VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 10.2
bus info: pci@0000:00:10.2
version: 80
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm uhci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=32 module=uhci_hcd
*-usb:3
description: USB Controller
product: USB 2.0
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 10.3
bus info: pci@0000:00:10.3
version: 82
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm ehci bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=ehci_hcd latency=32 module=ehci_hcd
*-isa
description: ISA bridge
product: VT8235 ISA Bridge
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 11
bus info: pci@0000:00:11.0
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: isa pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=0
*-ide
description: IDE interface
product: VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C PIPC Bus Master IDE
vendor: VIA Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 11.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:11.1
logical name: scsi0
logical name: scsi1
version: 06
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: ide pm bus_master cap_list emulated
configuration: driver=pata_via latency=32 module=pata_via
*-disk:0
description: ATA Disk
product: WDC WD400BB-00FJ
vendor: Western Digital
physical id: 0
bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0
logical name: /dev/sda
version: 13.0
serial: WD-WMAJA5044312
size: 37GiB (40GB)
capabilities: partitioned partitioned:dos
configuration: ansiversion=5 signature=6f1e8855
*-volume:0
description: EXT3 volume
vendor: Linux
physical id: 1
bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0,1
logical name: /dev/sda1
logical name: /
logical name: /dev/.static/dev
version: 1.0
serial: 8b78bbeb-aa88-4f6c-ad39-c61236f9ac2f
size: 12GiB
capacity: 12GiB
capabilities: primary bootable journaled extended_attributes
large_files huge_files recover ext3 ext2 initialized
configuration: created=2008-01-20 19:05:51 filesystem=ext3 mo
dified=2008-07-14 14:50:35 mount.fstype=ext3 mount.options=rw,relatime,errors=re
mount-ro,data=ordered mounted=2008-07-14 10:22:01 state=mounted
*-volume:1
description: Linux swap volume
physical id: 2
bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0,2
logical name: /dev/sda2
version: 1
serial: 7bb7d5e0-cf56-44f8-9c55-8b0e4fe7b07f
size: 2047MiB
capacity: 2047MiB
capabilities: primary nofs swap initialized
configuration: filesystem=swap pagesize=4096
*-volume:2
--More--

[Snowhog]

Re: silly question re hardware

right ...well I did as shown as this was the read out so I am assuming I have a 32 bit pc right?

description: Desktop Computer
product: PROD00000000
vendor: OEM00000
width: 32 bits <<<<<<<<< identifies your processor as a 32-bit CPU
capabilities: smbios-2.3 dmi-2.3 smp-1.4 smp
configuration: boot=normal chassis=desktop cpus=1 uuid=00000000-0000-0000-00
00-00508D61B408

Yes.

[Qqmike]

Re: silly question re hardware

Hi andybleaden,

also,
when in doubt, give wikipedia a go, too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32-bit
Best part of that article are all the many, many links, everywhere (including 64-bit processor).