What is an 16 bit microprocessor?

In computer architecture, 32-bit integers, memory addresses, or other data units are those that are at most 32 bits (4 octets) wide. Also, 32-bit CPU and ALU architecturesare those that are based on registers, address buses, or data buses of that size. 32-bitis also a term given to a generation of computers in which 32-bit processors were the norm.

The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295 or −2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647 using two's complement encoding. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressablememory.

The external address and data buses are often wider than 32 bits but both of these are stored and manipulated internally in the processor as 32-bit quantities. For example, the Pentium Pro processor is a 32-bit machine, but the external address bus is 36 bits wide, and the external data bus is 64 bits wide.

32-bit - Computers or software programs capable of transferring data 32-bits at a time. Examples of 32-bit operating systems are OS/2 and Windows NT. The first true 32-bit processor was the Intel 80386. 32-bit can also refer to the amount of colours a video card is displaying. 32-bit is the same as 16.7 million colours (24 bit colour with a 8-bit alpha channel).