32bit VS. 64bit

[AF380]

Can someone tell me the difference between 32bit and 64bit of x-plane? do they have different levels of detail? does one have a faster running rate? i have no idea.

[BWolf7]

64bit gives a bit better preformance (1-5 FPS), by allocating more RAM. It also gives more stablitiy (X-Plane will crash less). It is recommended to fly in 64bit whenever possible.

[tkyler]

64 bit simply allows greater memory...which means you can load up more stuff and not have x-plane crash or give you an error message.  Think of it as a bigger bucket to put more detail in.  It is generally only relevant when you load up lots of stuff.  For example, if you set your visibility to max, then x-plane loads "more scenery" way off in the distance so you can see it.  If you crank up your autgen density, you load up "more stuff"...more buildings, etc.  The performance is not all that different from 32-bit.  As more and more stuff is crammed into x-plane, then 64-bit allows for this kind of growth.  Without it (32-bit), x-plane would either crash or give you a error message if it did not have enough memory.  FPS doesn't change much between the two and is more related to folks hardware than the fact that 64-bit is 64-bit.  It is a bit different for each.

 

TomK

Edited June 13, 2013 by tkyler

[chris k]

Ben did a rather humourous writeup here:

 

http://developer.x-plane.com/2012/09/things-64-bit-will-not-do/

 

- CK.

[AF380]

thanks for the explanation, makes a lot more sense now =D.