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Ars Technica reports that nearly half of Windows 7 installations are 64-bit



The transition to 64-bit computing has accelerated with the release of Windows 7. Figures published by Microsoft today claim that nearly half of Windows 7 installations percent are using 64-bit versions of the operating system. This represents a huge upswing in 64-bit adoption; Windows Vista, in comparison, had only 11 percent of its users running the 64-bit version.

The benefits of 64-bit Windows vary; for some users they will be substantial, for others, nonexistent. The 64-bit versions of the operating system have reliable access to larger amounts of physical memory than their 32-bit counterparts. 64-bit software similarly has easy access to more system resources. These factors can provide a substantial performance boost to heavy workloads like databases, but for other workloads including common desktop tasks such as word processing or Web browsing there is little advantage to be had.
  Nearly half of Windows 7 installations are 64-bit