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What is the difference? Under what category does my system fall into? I want to download Fedora12 and it shows me these options. Which one should I download?

I have a Sony Vaio cr36g/b with an Intel Core 2 Duo 8100 processor.

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  • Intel core 2 duo is 64 bits processor. Oct 21, 2013 at 12:31

2 Answers 2

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x86_64 is for 64 bit processors. i386 is for 32 bit processors.

All Core 2 Duos are capable of running 64 bit operating systems and 32 bit operating systems.

You want x86_64 as it will run better and allow you to have more RAM in the future, although if you are worried about compatibility, you could use i386. Personally I haven't had any problems with x86_64 on Linux.

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  • mine is core 2 duo 8100. Is it capable of running 64 bit OS?
    – pineapple
    Nov 23, 2009 at 17:58
  • Yes. All Core 2 Duos are.
    – Macha
    Nov 23, 2009 at 18:02
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    Was it really necessary to ask "mine is core 2 duo 8100. Is it capable of running 64 bit OS?" in every single answer? I mean come on...
    – Marcin
    Nov 23, 2009 at 19:09
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    Necessary, no. But it does alert the person that their comment was replied to so they can follow up on the new comment. Nov 23, 2009 at 20:53
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x86_64 refers to 64-bit processors. i386 refers to 32-bit processors.

If you really do have an Intel Core 2 Duo, then it is a 64-bit processor. Some of the Intel Core processors were 32-bit. You can download either or - it depends if you want to run the 64-bit version. It gives you advantages of being able to use more memory (> 4GB per process, > 4GB in total without leveraging PAE) and in some instances will operate more quickly (and others more slowly).

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  • mine is core 2 duo 8100. Is it capable of running 64 bit OS?
    – pineapple
    Nov 23, 2009 at 17:57
  • @Aditya: Yes it is.
    – Chealion
    Nov 23, 2009 at 18:38

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