# FreeBSD amd/intel 64 bit support



## KaratKin (Sep 20, 2013)

Did a little digging, found this:

http://www.freebsd.org/platforms/amd64.html

Under status it says that it supports amd64 hardware, but doesn't "clarify" the status of Intel 64 architecture. So, is Intel 64 supported?

Also, I was looking for a guide on preferred hardware for building a desktop that ran FreeBSD, are their any links? Or at the very least, supported PCI cards (WiFi, graphics, ext) for FreeBSD-STABLE?


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## SirDice (Sep 20, 2013)

KaratKin said:
			
		

> Under status it says that it supports amd64 hardware, but doesn't "clarify" the status of intel 64 architecture. So, it intel 64 supported?


Intel 64 is the Intel version of the AMD64 instructionset, so yes.



> Also, I was looking for a guide on preferred hardware for building a desktop that ran FreeBSD- are their any links? Or at the very least, supported PCI cards (wifi, graphics, ext) for FreeBSD-Stable?



http://www.freebsd.org/releases/9.1R/relnotes-detailed.html


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## User23 (Sep 20, 2013)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86-64#Intel_64



> Historically, AMD has developed and produced processors patterned after Intel's original designs, but with x86-64, roles were reversed: Intel found itself in the position of adopting the architecture which AMD had created as an extension to Intel's own x86 processor line.


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## SirDice (Sep 20, 2013)

Yep, and because AMD was first the architecture got called AMD64 on FreeBSD. Intel has used various different names for it (EM64T, IA-32e, x86-64) before finally settling on Intel 64. But to be honest I find it confusing because of IA-64 (Intel Itanium), which is an entirely different beast altogether.


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## User23 (Sep 20, 2013)

I guess an Intel CPU with an extension called "AMD64" was a no-go. ï¿½e


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## tzoi516 (Sep 20, 2013)

With all of the cross-licensing agreements between AMD and Intel one would assume that anything Intel would run on AMD, and vice versa. I keep forgetting about AMD's RISC (NexGen) technology in their processors and wonder if Intel ever licensed AMD's RISC technology.


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