VMs. Not all of them run on native architectures. qemu and other things to let you run most anything anywhere these days.

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My first 64 bit was about 3wks ago, one that I built using a old case, using a DA sander
and applied automotive finish, looks pretty good, and than started on the inside, mind you trying to use things that I already have on hand, including paint, came up with a system
I don't think I can over work, nothing special, but not bad on a limited budget, it will do.

SeaSonic 550, G-skill 8gs, MSI- B150M , Intel LGA1151 4500, SSD128, WD500g, and other misc parts applied and fabricated, And I shall say again- it will do.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

From what little I've read, the G4500 is a darned nice chip given the price. I've heard they overclock fairly well, too, although obviously you're not overclocking given the B150 chipset.

My 2 desktops are now both 64 bit. My last 32 bit machine died earlier this year and I've replaced it with a Raspberry Pi 3 which I've been having a lot of fun with. My wife's notebook is 64 bit but I do still have an old netbook which 32 bit running Bodhi.

I see. Thank you for the answer.

My main work machine and main home machine are both 64 bit. the chromebook is 64 bit and I also use a levnovo s21e (sort of similar to a chromebook, but originally windows 8 for the os) is also 64 bit. I run 64 bit linux on those 2 machines despite the fact that they only have 2 gb of ram. mostly its so I can still use google-chrome for netflix.

I have 1 32 bit machine left, and it still use it daily. Its an asus eeepc, with the original single core 32 bit atom chip. 9" screen. It currently servers as a streaming radio/music player.

I have 4 boxes, 3 are elderly AMD @ 64bit and 1 is ancient dual slot 1 P3's @ 32bit, all running antiX 13.2 which seems ideally suited to anything I have ever tried it on. RB

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rolandbrindleyhoyle thanks for mentioning Antix running on your P3 , i have like 7 of them and have not found anything besides win 98 SE that runs on them easily .. now if u got them running AntiX 13.2 , and like it/love it , then i got to try Linux on them again, Thanks again

64-bit here... I've not run 32-bit Linux for at least 4 or 5 years.

More efficient use of memory.

Well that schouldn't make that huge a difference but if one is really pressed for mor memory I guess it makes sense. Thanks.

This is because 32-bit applications are preferred. For example, there are Firefox plugins for 32-bit only.
Most if not all Linux distros, when shipped with a 64-bit kernel, ship with only 64-bit applications. But it would make sense to run a Firefox in a 2 GB cage.

I wouldn't run 32 bit on anything that has more than 2 GB of RAM. High memory support and PAE are workarounds, the only acceptable solution with more than 2 GB is going 64 bit.

Well, I've got a couple of 32-bit only computers - an Acer Aspire One ZG5 netbook (Atom N270), and a 2004-vintage Shuttle system I picked up off of E-Bay with a 1.8GHz P4. The ZG5 seems to run anything I throw at it; the Shuttle, with its Intel 82845G is much more finicky when it comes to running X without corrupting the screen and/or freezing the whole system.

Hi,
Maybe with this LQ poll reflecting a major 64 bit but there are loads of 32 bit machines throughout the world. Some people in other countries still depend on legacy hardware and cannot always afford to upgrade to the latest and greatest hardware. Therefore getting the most life out of their equipment.

I have several 32 bit machines that I keep alive so as to extend the life and get my bang for the bucks spent. Sure, I can afford to get new hardware and build when I need something exotic. Not everyone has that choice. One of my reasons for using Slackware is to enable the use of legacy hardware without too much effort.

At one point I would build for community members and would recycle older hardware to keep the cost down for poor users who could not afford the latest and greatest. Gnu/Linux afforded that option so as to keep the costs down to a minimum. Nothing wrong with using 32 bit hardware but do not expect it to be the best on the block but one does not need expensive hardware to run simple tasks. Just streamline the systems to allow that user to browse the web, write docs and do daily tasks with a light weight OS and desktop.

No shame in using older hardware, just realize that there are limitations.
Hope this helps.
Have fun & enjoy!