64bit versus 32 bit OS
 

So, I was using Open SuSE 10 x86_64 on my Laptop which uses an AMD Turion64 processor.

I learned I dislike SuSE, very much so.

So, i've tried Fedora x86_64, and Debian AMD64 (pure 64 distro).

Fedora, completely fubared itself. Done, wont load any modules, kernel panics right away at boot.

Debian, unlike Fedora its a pure 64bit distro, so if i do want to run flash, openoffice, etc, I need to make a 32bit chroot environment, install and run the programs from there. Kind of annoying.

Really, what i would like to know is...

How much better performance will I actually have by using an x86_64 (or AMD64) distro versus using the normal x86 one??? Using Fedora or Debian for example.

I've used both, and I honestly can't tell the difference. Some applications, particularly those which are intensive on ram (sound and video editing come to find), have been shown to have improvements, but the general user isn't going to benefit much.

If you want compatibility then use a 32bit distro, the difference (if any) isn't noticable.

So i should save myself this horrible hassle of dependencies and finding 64bit packages and just use an x86 distro. It's not like i'm using my laptop for anything that RAM intensive (only 512M anyhow). Thanks for the replies.

Short answer, in my opinion, is yes.

As for the speed difference you asked about earlier. I saw a little speed gain with an AMD 64 while processing video. Perhaps 15 to 20 percent improvement. I really need a multiprocessor machine for video work. The denoising process really buries a single processor machine. Perhaps when the new AMD chips arrive this summer the X2 will drop in price.


Stan