Difference Between 8 Bit and 16 Bit Microcontroller

Microcontroller is a chip with a processor on it. It essentially provides something for the processor to read from. A processor is basically useless without a microcontroller. So an 8-bit microcontroller can read 8 bits of information. A 16-bit microcontroller is 16 bits, a 32-bit microcontroller is 32 bits, and so on.

8-bit Microcontroller: An 8-bit microcontroller is one with a data word length of 8 bits. The number of bits that a microprocessor can process at once is referred to as its word length or word size.

16-bit Microcontroller: A 16-bit microcontroller is one that can handle data with 16 bits, allowing it to manage a bigger quantity of data and calculations at once. It also consumes less power and has a faster clock speed than an 8-bit microcontroller. It is now the most widely used microcontroller.

Difference Between 8 Bit and 16 Bit Microcontrollers:

8-bit Microcontroller	16-bit Microcontroller
An 8-bit microcontroller is capable of handling 8-bit data and program memory.	A 16-bit microcontroller is capable of handling 16-bit data and program memory.
An 8-bit reading bus is present on 8-bit microcontrollers.	A 16-bit reading bus is present on 16-bit microcontrollers.
8-bit microcontrollers have lower clock speeds but are more reliable.	16-bit microcontrollers offer double the clock speed but are less reliable.
8-bit microcontrollers are less efficient than 16-bit microcontrollers.	Compared to 8-bit microcontrollers, 16-bit microcontrollers are more efficient.
8-bit microcontrollers require more ROM.	16-bit microcontrollers require less ROM.
Microcontrollers with 8 bits take up less space than microcontrollers with 16 bits.	Microcontrollers with 16 bits take up more space than microcontrollers with 8 bits.
The 8-bit microcontroller is cheaper.	A 16 bit microcontroller is costly compared to an 8-bit microcontroller.
The 8-bit range for each instruction cycle is 0 to 255.	The 16- bit range for each instruction cycle is 0 to 65535.
An 8-bit microcontroller takes 20 mA of electricity to operate, which is twice as much as a 16-bit microcontroller’s current consumption.	16 bit microcontroller takes 10 mA of current.
8-bit input and output peripherals are less advanced than 16 bit microcontroller input and output peripherals.	16 bit input and output peripherals are more advanced than 8-bit microcontroller input and output peripherals.
At 48 MHz, an 8-bit microcontroller shows a speed of 12 MIPS.	At 32 MHz, a 16-bit microcontroller shows a speed of 16 MIPS.
Microcontroller with 8 bits have 8-bit reading bus.	Microcontroller with 16 bits have 16-bit reading bus.

My Personal Notes arrow_drop_up

Save