Is there really any reason to still use a 32-bit operating system? Unless you have some legacy (or complicated) devices that needs a 32-bit operating system to work, most people should be on a 64-bit OS for its added security and speed. Simple as that.
If you’re a gamer and you needed a bit more convincing, Nvidia is happy to give you a bit more encouragement to move up to a 64-bit OS. According to a new announcement from the company, it will no longer support 32-bit operating systems for any future graphics card drivers. In other words, if you want the latest updates, you’re going to have to upgrade to a 64-bit operating system.
“After Release 390, NVIDIA will no longer release drivers for 32-bit operating systems for any GPU architecture. Later driver release versions will not operate, nor install, on 32-bit operating systems. Driver enhancements, driver optimizations, and operating system features in driver versions after Release 390 will not be incorporated back into Release 390 or earlier versions,” Nvidia’s announcement reads.
Nvidia’s move affects three major iterations of Windows—Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and Windows 10$119.99 at Microsoft—as well as the much lower number of gamers running 32-bit Linux or FreeBSD.
If you have no idea what version of Windows you’re running, that’s easy to check. Pull up your Control Panel, find the System icon, and double-click it. In the detailed list of information about your computer that appears, look for the line “System Type,” which will then show you whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit OS.
The great 32-bit purge marches onward. Earlier this year, Apple drew a line in the sand with the launch of iOS 11, officially requiring apps to support a 64-bit architecture or risk being buried on the App Store (and simply not work on users’ iOS 11 devices). The company will also stop accepting 32-bit apps in the Mac App Store starting January 1, 2018—and High Sierra is its last macOS update that will support a 32-bit architecture.
