Google Chrome 64-bit Arrives for Windows 7 and Windows 8.

1
Some time has passed since Google announced the 64-bit version of the popular
Chrome browser and promised stability, security, and speed. On 26th of August the long
awaited version was released. Because many expected that Chrome will take
navigation to another level, they have been disappointed, and suspected that the new
version is just a marketing campaign. Running some benchmark tests for browsers we
were surprised to find that the score obtained is approximately equal to or even lower
than the 32-bit version. The truth is that the advantages it offers are not felt by the
common user, but the power user is capable to detect certain differences.
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<h2 class=content>The Benchmarks Used for Testing and Results</h2>

Having certain expectations we decided to test the new version. For this I used five
benchmarks: Peacekeepers, SunSpider, HTML5 test and Rightware Browsermark.
First, SunSpider was run. The <a
href=https://www.webkit.org/perf/sunspider/sunspider.html>SunSpider JavaScript
Benchmark</a> measures JavaScript performance on tasks relevant to the current and
near future use of JavaScript in the real world, such as encryption and text
manipulation. This is one of the few benchmarks where it is important to receive a lower
mark. The lowest results mean faster speed and better performance. As you can see,
the differences are insignificant and the 32-bit version seems to be somehow better.

The results were surprising, so we tried Peacekeeper benchmark. The <a

href=http://peacekeeper.futuremark.com/>Peacekeeper benchmark</a> measures the

browser's performance by testing its JavaScript functionality and its ability to handle
commonly used JavaScript functions.This time the 64-bit version seems to be the
winner, but again the differences are too small to count.

Seems like its a tie. The next test we used was Rightware Browsermark. <a
href=http://browsermark.rightware.com/> Rightware Browsermark</a> measures how
well browser will resize the screen, how fast browser loads pages and send requests
and whether or not browser support modern web site development techniques.
Unexpectedly the 32-bit version won, again.

The last benchmark we performed was HTML5 test. The <a

href=http://html5test.com>HTML5 test</a> score is an indication of how well your
browser supports the upcoming HTML5 standard and related specifications. Even
though the specification isn't finalized yet, all major browser manufacturers are making

sure their browser is ready for the future. Find out which parts of HTML5 are already
supported by your browser today. After this test the results were conclusive and we
thought that we should better keep the 32-bit version because the new one wouldn`t
make any difference.

<strong>NOTE:</strong>To obtain a more accurate result, SunSpider, Peacekeeper

and Rightware Browsermark were run three times on each version. The results you see
below represent the average of the scores obtained by each version in each test.

<h2 class=content>Different approach</h2>

After the disappointing results and careful thinking, we decided that we should take a
different approach. Some of the advantages the new version offers are not measurable.
<strong>Speed</strong>
The 64-bit Google Chrome version improves the speed of graphics and video including
High Definition YouTube videos. For example the VP9 codec used in High Definition
YouTube videos shows a 15% improvement in decoding performance. The new version
can access a more modern instruction. As a result speed is improved and the
performance increases by 25% especially in graphics and multimedia content.
<strong>Security</strong>
It is more secure since Chrome can take advantage of the new features Windows 8
offers such as High Entropy ASLR which adds an extra protection layer and a better
defend against exploitation techniques. The extra bits force the software to use all the
resources to obtain maximum defense, improving existing security features.

<strong>Stability</strong>
It is known that 64-bit rendering engines are almost twice as stable as the 32-bit
engines when handling web content. In particular, the crash rate for the rendering
process are almost half of 32-bit Chrome.
<h2 class=content>Plugins Support</h2>
The 64-bit Google Chrome browser is missing one feature found in 32-bit browser:
support for NPAPI plugins (a cross platform plugin architecture used by many
browsers). This means some plugins will not work. Current versions of Java and
Silverlight will work fine because they have 64-bit support, but some, such as the
Google Earth plugin will not. Google intends to remove 32-bit NPAPI support at some
point in the future. Its not necessary to install Adobe Flash and Shockwave Player and
as they come built into Chrome.
<h2 class=content>Conclusion</h2>
This release makes Chrome the second browser to have a stable 64-bit version in
Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 after Internet Explorer. The common user might not feel
any difference, but the improvement is shown while multiple tabs are open and high
definition videos are buffered. Also for those who play online games which have high
system requirements the release should make you happy.
If you want to switch to the new version, uninstall the 32-bit Chrome version and
download and install the new one from <a
href=https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/?platform=win64>here</a>. Dont worry
about your passwords, extensions, content licenses and bookmarks. Chrome will import
them from your Google account.