64 bit vs. 32 bit Ubuntu

[desnaike]

I'm using hp G61-429wm laptop 3 gigs ram ubuntu 10.04 64 bit no problems at all.
Desktop in sig also ubuntu 64 zero problems.

[ranch hand]

Ive got 2GB of ram and a 1GHZ processor. This is a 2008 gateway labtop, i ran 64 bit vista on it.... should i go for the 64 bit ubuntu?

If it will run 64bit MS on it you will have no trouble with any 64bit Linus.

Well unless you call running rings around MS a trouble.

[LemursDontExist]

If it will run 64bit MS on it you will have no trouble with any 64bit Linus.

Well unless you call running rings around MS a trouble.

This isn't always true. A lot of the problems people have had with 64 bit Linux in the past were poor support for 64 bit binary drivers and for third party binary packages.

Most decently maintained drivers and packages now work fine on 64 bit, but if you need to use no longer maintained packages, it could still be a problem.

On the whole you're probably right, but you can't be sure of it.

[tgm4883]

This isn't always true. A lot of the problems people have had with 64 bit Linux in the past were poor support for 64 bit binary drivers and for third party binary packages.

Most decently maintained drivers and packages now work fine on 64 bit, but if you need to use no longer maintained packages, it could still be a problem.

On the whole you're probably right, but you can't be sure of it.

I've not run into a single issue on my 64-bit systems. Not even with flash.

[ranch hand]

I've not run into a single issue on my 64-bit systems. Not even with flash.

Yup, could be I am just lucky but no problems at all with amd64. Started with Ubuntu 8.04 now using Debian testing. Everything is running great.

[oldfred]

I have 64Bit on my 4GB RAM desktop since Karmic 9.10. I also updated my laptop with only 1.5GB of RAM so I would have same configuration. I cannot say I have had any issues that I noticed due to them being 64bit.

Ubuntu 32-bit, 32-bit PAE, 64-bit Kernel Benchmarks Dec 2009
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...u_32_pae&num=1
Essentially says if you can use the 64bit kernel you should.
New tests with Natty:
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...ty_pae64&num=1

[vinayakahegde]

I would like to install the 64-bit ububtu on a PC which is having 32-bit ubuntu pre-installed. Is this possible? If yes is there any care has to be taken while installing? Is there any documentation available for this?

[tgm4883]

I would like to install the 64-bit ububtu on a PC which is having 32-bit ubuntu pre-installed. Is this possible? If yes is there any care has to be taken while installing? Is there any documentation available for this?

It is possible as long as you have a 64-bit processor. You would have to do a complete reinstall of the OS.

[cwrann]

It would seem that most of the 64-bit problems have been resolved, does anyone know why Ubuntu still recommends 32-bit for 64-bit machines on the download page?

The Ubuntu Community Documentation page for 32-bit vs 64-bit (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/32..._64bit)states:

"Unless you have specific reasons to choose 32-bit, we recommend 64-bit to utilize the full capacity of your hardware."

[LemursDontExist]

It would seem that most of the 64-bit problems have been resolved, does anyone know why Ubuntu still recommends 32-bit for 64-bit machines on the download page?

The Ubuntu Community Documentation page for 32-bit vs 64-bit (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/32..._64bit)states:

"Unless you have specific reasons to choose 32-bit, we recommend 64-bit to utilize the full capacity of your hardware."

I would guess that they do that because if you don't know which to use, 32-bit is the safer bet. There are still plenty of old machines out there that don't have a 64-bit processor, and plenty of users who don't know if they have a 64-bit processor or not. People who know what they're doing will ignore the recommendation.

It is also worth noting that 64-bit isn't always better than 32-bit. Specifically, 64-bit machines use more memory to perform the same operations, and if you're often operating at the limit of your machine's ram the 32-bit system will perform much better. Ram is cheap, so usually 64-bit is a better choice, but on an old machine it can be a mistake.

I once installed the 64-bit version of windows 7 on a laptop with only 1 gig of ram. It was almost unusable, but the 32-bit version ran fine. That said, Ubuntu's memory footprint is much smaller than that of windows.

Anyway, I'm just rambling on. I think they recommend the 32-bit version so that non-tech savvy new users don't have trouble on incompatible machines.