Choosing 64 or 32 bit for desktop use

[John_T]

I'm presently building a new PC for my wife. It's an intel E6300 dual core system, and I'm wondering whether I should install the 32 bit or 64 bit version of Ubuntu.

Usage:

It's for general home office use, she lives mainly in firefox and open office.
Dual monitor setup (Two 1280 x 1024 LCDs)
Occasional use of VMWare player (for running windows apps required for her teaching job)
Would like to run Compiz desktop effects


My questions are basically:

Will the system run any better if I use the 64 bit version with 4 GB RAM?
Are there any known issues with standard apps on 64 bit? (Thinking firefox / flash that sort of thing)


Any tips / recommendations / known gotchas would be much appreciated.


More compelte system specs:
Gigabyte EP41-UD3l Motherboard
Intel E6300 Dual Core processor 2.8Ghz (FSB1066 2MB)
Gainward 9500GT 512 MB video card PCI-e
4GB DDR2 RAM (2 x 2 GB)

[phillw]

Hi,

64Bit is easier for more than 3.5Gb RAM (You can add something to 32 bit kernel) - People report that flash seems very happy in 64 bit environment.

Regards,

phill.

[cascade9]

Depending on who you listen to, you can get a lot of different opinions about 32bit vs 64bit. IMO, its better to use 64bit now, its more optimised for your processor. (same as I prefer to use i586/i686 over i386 for 32 bit CPUs)

I've been running 64 bit for a while now, even though I've only got 2GB of RAM, and I havent had any issues with firefox or open office. Or anything else I can think of for that matter.

[dhavalbbhatt]

I have been using 64 bit since 8.04. The early days for 8.04 were a bit difficult, but since then, I have had nothing but great experience with 64 bit, especially since 8.10.