Hi everybody,
what is the most suitable version of Linux for a 64 bit system?

Every distro that has a 64 bit version, which are almost all.

http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php
http://www.sabayon.org/
http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora-options
look to download the link that says 64bit

http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/
debian installer for 64bit is amd64 link

.http://www.slackware.com/getslack/torrents.php

64bit torrent at the bottom of page.

Most people do not need a 64 bit OS.

Unless you want to have more than 4GB of RAM, which nearly every desktop computer sold today does.

OP - just about every distro has a 64 bit version, just pick your favorite. I haven't installed a 32-bit version of linux on any machine in probably 6 years.

Have a look at www.distrowatch.com
If I had a 64bit PC,
I would try
a) linux mint (if you like an easy going task)
b) tinycorelinux (if you are a bit hardcore)
No ubuntu.
No KDE.
No GNOME. (.. too fat and buggy)

As far as I know there is no 64 bit version of Tinycore.

32bit PAE enabled Kernel supports up to 64GB of RAM. Still limited to 4GB per process though.

Come on, not another 32 versus 64 bit thread, the OP asked for a 64 bit distro, not for arguments for and against 64 bit.

Yes, that was to the point, my question was not about the ins and outs of 32 versus 64 bit, RAM and related issues.

My question was: which distro would be the one that takes really advantage of the 64 bit hardware, i.e. is fast and at the same time
user friendly stable etc. Now sorry guys, some of you said: no need ie none others said all distros.

Excuse me which one is it and what does it depend on?

All distros that have a 64 bit version will really take advantage of 64 bit, since all the packages the distro has in its repositories are compiled for 64 bit. There are only a few exceptions, the source-based distros. They can take benefits from all features your processor supports, just because any package is compiled from source and can be adapted to your hardware. But most of them are not really that what commonly is called user-friendly.

So it comes up to your personal taste. Just take the 64 bit version of the distro you like for your personal use.

Suitability for 64 bit is not a characteristic with much variation among the major distributions.

Any that support 64 bit at all (which is most of them) are equally suitable for 64 bit. They are all using pretty much the same software.

Distributions might be significantly more or less suitable for beginning Linux users vs. other distributions, or significantly more or less suitable for use as a server. They might vary in their level of support for certain newer nvidia display adapters or for certain kinds of RAID, etc.. Even on those characteristics where there are significant real differences, you'll have trouble getting accurate details or consensus.

For "suitable for a 64 bit system", there just aren't any relevant differences on which anyone could base a constructive answer.

1 members found this post helpful.

If I were to recommend a distro to a newbie it would be a 32 bit still for most common users. Most but not all distro's work fine in 64 bit. You don't exactly get a better or improved system by choosing a 64 bit over 32. More bits are not always better. The few issues most trained users would have can be fixed or bypassed. This is not the case with all new users.

A 32 bit install will generally provide more complete user experience with least time looking for answers with no downsides.

The best choice would be for you to run some live versions. First to see if your hardware works OK. Second to test some small installs of your favorite software. Most live distro's can have some things installed based on how much ram you have. Even then you can do small installs to test your 64 bit choice. Your 64 bit processor will work fine with either choice.

Thanks guys, I will pick what I like then using live CDs and take it from there.

I know there is a lot of information regarding differences in distros.
I read quite a lot of it trying to make an educated choice for a distro.
Unfortunately the information was for the most part also controversial in that there was not much consensus.

Perhaps before we close this thread some of you would like to make some brief comments on your favourite distros stating the most important points why.

Much appreciated!

Still the question is more of "What is the most suitable version of Linux for you" Most of your Linux versions have a 64bit version so I would recommend find what one still fits your needs. That said you would have to provide further info for further help.

Oh to Jefro your you might be right but IMO the tech age is advancing so going straight into a 64bit OS is what I would recommend because I'm sure soon from now there will soon be 128bit OS. But I'm sure we still have a little while for that stuff to be released.