Attempting to upgrade your PC from 86x to 64x
Attempting to upgrade your PC from 86x to 64x
I upgraded my Dell OptiPlex 3040 with 16GB RAM and a new SSD, and it performed exceptionally well. However, I wondered if upgrading the system to 64-bit would be feasible using Windows Media Creator. Given that your PC is based on an Intel 86x processor with an i5 core, it should support 64-bit operation.
The situation is a bit confusing. x86 refers to a specific architecture, and the device determines whether it supports it. You don’t get to choose it—either it’s there or not. Typically, a PC runs on x86, while phones, tablets, and other devices usually don’t. The 64-bit version relates to the operating system you install. Since you’re reinstalling Windows for the SSD upgrade, just make sure to use the 64-bit edition. It’s straightforward once you follow that.
X86 is indeed a CPU design you're correct about. AMDx64, which Intel also employs today, is another architecture built around Intel's x86 foundation. I wanted to know what Gen i5 OP offers since I understand all Core series CPUs support x64. It seems the solution might be switching to a 64-bit version of Windows instead of changing the OS type. Also puzzling is why OP reports significant performance gains from adding 16GB of RAM if they're already running a 64-bit OS—this suggests their CPU is likely already 64-bit.
Your system supports 64-bit Windows. Click the "This PC" icon and choose "Properties" to view details. The "System type" section indicates your installed Windows version. Upgrading from 32-bit to 64-bit requires a fresh installation, but it will work as long as you reinstall the same edition (Home or Pro).
More precisely, x86 refers to a 32-bit processor design. Its 64-bit version is known as x86_64. It's also referred to as AMD64 or, as Windows prefers, x64. Interestingly, the naming changed over time—before x86_64 became standard, they used x64 for backward compatibility, and now they've shifted the 'x' to the end.