64 bit Linux, 8 gig RAM, 32 bit wine
 

I read something about how a 32 bit OS isn't effective at utilizing more than 4 GIGS of memory. I don't really understand the issue very well. What if I install a 64 bit OS but then I install 32 bit wine because 32 bit wine has less problems. Will the Windows programs I run in wine utilize 8 gigs of memory? How can I check?
EDIT:
Oops, I meant to put this in the hardware forum. Sorry. I guess I'll report it instead of double posting.

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I know. I have a 64 bit OS. I'm wondering if using 32 bit wine cancels out all the benefits. I tried 64 bit wine but then a game tried installing .net service pack2 or something and I kept getting an error, something about how .net SP2 can't work on a 64 bit system. There was a workaround but I never figured it out and gave up and installed 32 bit wine.

Actually now that I think about the game continued to install despite the failure of the .net SP2 install. I wonder if the game would have worked anyway? Probably I should try that. Or maybe I can get that workaround to get .net SP2 onto a 64 bit wine to work.

Actually I noticed if I have the wine package that supports both 32 and 64 bits then I get two folders. Program Files and Program Files (x86). I notice one game automatically installs into the Program Files (x86) directory so I looked it up and I found that the game is "written in 32 bit code". So would it even make any difference if I only installed 32 bit wine?

A 32 bit Windows OS is limited to 3 and fraction GB of physical ram.

A 32 bit Windows program run under a 32 bit Windows OS is limited to either 2GB or 3GB of virtual ram (depending on various settings).

A 32 bit Windows program run under a 64 bit Windows OS is limited to either 2GB or 4GB of virtual ram (depending on just a setting in that program's header). But that 2GB or 4GB can be anywhere in the physical ram, so you could be running several different 32 bit programs at the same time that in total use far more than 4GB, even though no one of them can use more than 4GB.

A 32 bit Windows program run under Wine in a 32 bit PAE Linux OS is limited to: I don't know whether 2GB or 3GB nor what settings might determine that. But that 2GB or 3GB can be anywhere in the physical ram, so you could be running several different 32 bit Windows programs at the same time that in total use far more than 4GB, even though no one of them can use more than 2GB or 3GB.

For a 64 bit version of Wine in a 64 bit Linux OS, I don't know whether 32 bit Windows programs are limited to 2G, 3GB or 4GB (but one of those). As above, the total ram used by many 32 bit programs can be much larger than 4GB.

Only the 32-bit Windows OS (or non PAE 32-bit Linux) limits the total ram used by multiple 32-bit Windows programs to less than 4GB.

I don't know how/whether the 32 vs. 64 bit choice in installing Wine affects the 2GB vs. 3GB vs. 4GB limit on virtual memory per 32-bit Windows process. A 64-bit Wine couldn't let a 32-bit Windows program use more than 4GB virtual memory. So per process, the limit must be in the 2GB to 4GB range.

Your 32-bit game program probably wouldn't use over 2GB no matter what Wine and/or Windows lets it use. So in that sense, it probably doesn't matter to that game which version of Wine you install.

For multiple Windows programs run at once, the 32-bit version of Wine would be just as effective as the 64-bit version at letting the total physical ram use by several simultaneous programs go way over 4GB.

Thanks.