Question

Is it worth installing the Ubuntu 9.10 64bit version over the 32bit x86 version? I will get the ability to address more than 4GB of memory, but other than that, how does the 64bit version fare in terms of performance and stability?

Answer 1

You might want to read an article from AMD: 64bit Linux - Miyths and Facts

Conclusion from the article:

Use a 64-bit system and stick to the compat layer if you have the need of running certain 32-bit applications.

Answer 2

Unless there is some application you use that is 32-bit only, I really see no reason why not to use the 64-bit version. Even if there are no obvious benefits besides >4GB memory, I don't think there are any obvious downsides to using the 64-bit version either.

Answer 3

Why not try both and decide for yourself? You can always backup your homedir and migrate it to the version you intend to keep.

I don't know if it's the placebo effect or something else, but I seem to think that 64-bit feels faster on the same hardware.

Answer 4

if your using 64bit hardware, you should use the 64bit version of ubuntu. You get the best of 64bit performance and size with the minimum of compatibility problems with 32bit legacy applications.

Answer 5

There are two things that made me use 64-bits Ubuntu.

First when using cpu intensive stuff, like encoding h264 videos, it is really nice to be able to maximise the use of the hardware.

Secondly I want to be able to use more than 4Gb RAM. This is kind of important if you like to play with virtual machines (like VirtualBox), since it is nice to give it 1-2Gb of RAM and really reduces the amount the host has left.

So if you ever had the idea of having 2-3 VirtualBox:s running the same time, 4Gb of RAM is not that much...