x64? ARM? AMD64? Time to Fix Your Architecture Confusion

#arm

When you deal with installing software or even games, you might have come across architecture terms like x64, arm etc.

This article, I will introduce you to those terms and make you familiarise with it more.

What is a CPU architecture?

In simple terms, we can define the CPU architecture as

How the processor understands instructions
How it handles memory
How software is written for it.

So, a program which is compiled for one architecture usually wont run on another one, unless its emulated.

Major CPU architectures

1. x86 architecture

x86 is created by intel during late 1970s
It uses 32 bit architecture
It's used mainly in older PCs, older laptops/office desktops
Modern systems rarely use this, they use x86_64 (x64).

2. x64 (x86_64,AMD64)

This is the 64-bit extension of x86.
Invented by AMD, later adopted by Intel.
This can access more memory and execute instructions faster
Used by most modern computers
When you download apps, 64-bit usually means x64.

3. ARM(ARMv7,ARMv8,ARM64,AArch64)

It's energy efficient
It is mainly used in smartphones, apple silicon macs, Raspberry Pi, IoT devices and tablets.

Where this architecture knowledge comes handy

1. Choosing the correct software download

Linux: x86_64 vs ARM64 images
Node.js installers come in ARM64 (Apple Silicon) and x64 (Intel) versions.

2. Building apps

When you compile code, you should target the architectures to ensure compability.
For example:
- arm64 for Apple M1/M2/M3
- amd64 for most cloud servers

3. Performance and battery life

ARM = efficient
x64 = powerful

4. Gaming and compatibility

Windows games - x64
Mobile games - ARM

Wrapping up

Hope you now got an overview of what these architectures mean and how its important to get a grasp of it.

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