64 bit operations don't significantly affect the decoder (which isn't a big deal anyway). The option to pull 64 bits out of the cache at a time isn't a big deal given the ability to pull 8, 16, and 32.
> the MIPS R4000, it's definitely not a fully 64-bits processor
Sure it is. It does 64 bit arithmetic with a single instruction. Yes, instructions for different lengths may take different amounts of time, but so what?
I note that various 586/686 implementations have had faster operations on shorter data types (and in at least one case, had slower operations on shorter datatypes). (I'd argue that the first 386 in 32 bit mode was a 32 bit processor, but surely the pentium-class machines are.)
> only implements 40 of the 64-bits for 1 TB of virtual memory
No current x86-64 implementation implements more than 48 bits for either virtual or physical addresses.
Legal alpha implementations could implement as few as 43 bits.
Care to name an implementation of any processor that has 64 virtual and or physical address bits?
64 bit operations don't significantly affect the decoder (which isn't a big deal anyway). The option to pull 64 bits out of the cache at a time isn't a big deal given the ability to pull 8, 16, and 32.
> the MIPS R4000, it's definitely not a fully 64-bits processor
Sure it is. It does 64 bit arithmetic with a single instruction. Yes, instructions for different lengths may take different amounts of time, but so what?
I note that various 586/686 implementations have had faster operations on shorter data types (and in at least one case, had slower operations on shorter datatypes). (I'd argue that the first 386 in 32 bit mode was a 32 bit processor, but surely the pentium-class machines are.)
> only implements 40 of the 64-bits for 1 TB of virtual memory
No current x86-64 implementation implements more than 48 bits for either virtual or physical addresses.
Legal alpha implementations could implement as few as 43 bits.
Care to name an implementation of any processor that has 64 virtual and or physical address bits?