64 bit vs. 32 bit Ubuntu

[tgm4883]

Explain.

*pulls up a chair* Oh this should be good.

[Sarys]

*pulls up a chair* Oh this should be good.

Why exaclty?

[tgm4883]

Why exaclty?

Because I find it interesting the reasons why people still think that 32-bit is superior.

[VeeDubb]

32-bit is best..

Explain.

I can't explain why 32bit is best, but I can explain why it's not best.

1. Your hardware is 64bit. If you run 32bit, you're not using it to it's full potential.

2. 64bit allows you to use more RAM without using PAE, which is essentially a hack in the kernel that allows a 32bit system to assign addresses to more blocks of RAM.

3. Any program that is written to take advantage of your 64bit CPU will perform significantly better with a 64bit system than a 32bit system.

4. Software that only works on 32bit is virtually unheard of at this point.

5. The one and only advantage to using 32bit is that if you have a very small amount of RAM, 1GB or less, the extra bits used up by RAM addressing will outweigh the efficiency of using a 64bit system in some settings.


So, in short, if you're running a system built in the last few years, you should be using 64bit. The only time you should use 32 is if you're running a system that can only run 32, or if you're running a very old 64bit system that has very little ram.


As for how you get it onto a CD, you do exactly the same thing you did with 32bit Ubuntu when you got it installed.

[*^kyfds(]

***simplified ever more***

the only difference between 32 and 64 bit is the size of the data chunks the CPU processes from the ram.

If you have a large amount of ram (4gb+), 64 bit is useful because it is more effective at handling large amounts of RAM data.

on the other hand, 32 bit computers are effective at hanldling smaller amounts of RAM, on smaller ram modules.

hence, if you have a machine with more than about 4Gb of ram, it's more effective to use 64 bit versions of OS's to utilise all of the ram's potential.

[Sarys]

***simplified ever more***

the only difference between 32 and 64 bit is the size of the data chunks the CPU processes from the ram.

If you have a large amount of ram (4gb+), 64 bit is useful because it is more effective at handling large amounts of RAM data.

on the other hand, 32 bit computers are effective at hanldling smaller amounts of RAM, on smaller ram modules.

hence, if you have a machine with more than about 4Gb of ram, it's more effective to use 64 bit versions of OS's to utilise all of the ram's potential.

My laptop has 3bg ram but there was win 7 64 bit. So should I use 32 bit Ubuntu or 64 bit? (at the moment I have 64 bit with mouse problem)

[LemursDontExist]

My laptop has 3bg ram but there was win 7 64 bit. So should I use 32 bit Ubuntu or 64 bit? (at the moment I have 64 bit with mouse problem)

64 bit will be a little faster probably. Read this.

Unless you're short on RAM (as in regularly use most or all of your RAM) there are no real disadvantages to 64-bit and several advantages. As I think I said somewhere earlier in this thread, if you have more than 2GB of RAM you're probably better off with 64-bit, if you have 1GB or less 32-bit is probably best, and between it depends on how you use your computer.

With 3GB of RAM 64-bit should just be faster.

[Ruja]

I must say that I've tested both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Ubuntu 12.04 on a 5-year old Dell Inspiron 1720 with nVidia graphics, Intel Core 2 Duo, and 2 GiB of RAM.

The 32-bit version had lots of problems with graphics driver, I had to install a previous version (295.33) from nVidia, flash video had inverted colors and I had to install a previous version (10.3), the system did not cut off power after shutdown, Sauerbraten did not work on Unity and froze from time to time on Gnome Classic (No Effects), Gnome Shell would unexpectedly close X server from time to time, losing all my work, ttys were not working (blank screen).

On the other hand, 64-bit version solved many of these problems, Ubuntu's additional nvidia drivers work, flash video works, power is cut after system shutdown, Gnome Shell won't end abruptly the X server, and ttys are back. Sauerbraten does not work on Unity, but it does on Gnome Shell. Yes, more RAM is used, but RAM is there for being used, not to stay empty.

Take this into account if you are going to install Ubuntu on a similar Dell laptop.

[exploder]

If the hardware supports it and there is enough memory I prefer to run 64 bit. Thinks may only be milliseconds faster but faster is faster.

[ivanp]

Hi,

I'm about to download the 64-bit version, but the file name troubles me a little: ubuntu-12.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso
Does it mean the file was packaged for AMD processors and even if it works with Intels, it's better if you have an AMD one?