Performance characterization of mobile-class nodes: Why fewer bits is better

Mobile-class nodes, also known as netbooks, have become increasingly popular in the personal computing market. As is the trend in the computing market, the processors in these mobile-class nodes moving from 32 bits to 64 bits. This move extends the memory ceiling beyond the traditional 4GB, allowing for a significantly larger virtual address space. In addition, on the x8 6_64 architecture, 64-bit technology gives mobile-class processors access to eight extended 64-bit registers, as well as eight additional extended registers and eight additional 32-bit registers.