<<< Encoding x86 Instruction Operands, MOD-REG-R/M Byte     Index     REG Field of the MOD-REG-R/M Byte >>>

7. General-Purpose Registers


  • The EAX, EDX, ECX, EBX, EBP, EDI, and ESI registers are 32-bit general-purpose registers, used for temporary data storage and memory access.

  • The AX, DX, CX, BX, BP, DI, and SI registers are 16-bit equivalents of the above, they represent the low-order 16 bits of 32-bit registers.

  • The AH, DH, CH, and BH registers represent the high-order 8 bits of the corresponding registers.

  •   16-bit general-purpose registers

  • Since the processor accesses registers more quickly than it accesses memory, you can make your programs run faster by keeping the most-frequently used data in registers.


<<< Encoding x86 Instruction Operands, MOD-REG-R/M Byte     Index     REG Field of the MOD-REG-R/M Byte >>>