Google: new 64-bit version Chrome is quarter faster

Google has released a 64bit test version of Google Chrome. The 64-bit version of the browser, which is currently only available through the release channels for test versions, is not only safer and more stable, according to Google, but above all faster.

The version is currently only available through the dev and canary channels, but should eventually make its way to the beta channel and eventually the channel for normal end users, Google says. It is not yet known when that will happen.

For now, the 64bit version is only available to users of Windows 7 and 8; it’s unclear when the Linux and OS X versions of the popular browser will also receive support for 64bit.

According to Google, the 64-bit version is faster, among other things, because the 64-bit instruction set can be used. On average, the 64-bit version performs 25 percent better in that area, Google says. Especially on websites with a lot of graphic content, the 64-bit version would surpass its 32-bit brother.

In addition, the new version is more stable; the 64bit version would crash half as often due to rendering errors. Security should also be improved, partly because under Windows 8 a more secure version of address space layout randomization can be used. Attacks that use jit-spraying, where the just-in-time compiler is abused, should now also have less chance.