# i7 920 & asus p6t: 32 or 64 bits installation?

## paulomazo

Dear All, 

I've been using Gentoo for some years and always on 32bits hardware. I just purchased an i7 920 / p6t se/ 6 GB RAM/ ati hd 4890 desktop and I intend not to use any RAID by now. I read some info about pros and cons regarding using 64 bits vs 32 bits but I am still not sure about what installation choose. I will use this computer only for entertainment progs, like amarok, firefox, mplayer, skype and vmware with a virtual windows xp (because of my wife).

What do you suggest in my case?

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## EzInKy

Unless you plan on use PAE to access memory over 4gb you'll want to go 64bit. Multilib is default so you'll still be able to run 32bit programs.

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## paulomazo

Thanks for the answer man!

Ok, I guess it will be a good experience discarding 32 bit (with PAE) and go to a 64 bit install. 

But what about the performance increase for this kind of apps that I am using? Does anybody have any kind of benchmark info about 32bit vs 64bit?

Thanks again..

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## d2_racing

Go for a 64 bit installation with the default amd64/desktop profile  :Razz: 

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## Jaglover

With applications you have listed on an i7 there is no performance difference. Only a few programs actually run faster on 64bit, media encoding is one of them - it's about 30% faster. And you really don't need 6 GB of RAM for Linux desktop (will your car run faster is you fit 10 wheels on it instead of factory 4). Well, maybe you want to run 10 virtual machines same time ...

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## Jaglover

Looking at this thread and thinking ... there were times when every new CPU was more powerful and desirable. I remember switching from 8 MHz 286 to 40 MHz 386. What a performance boost it was. But those times are over. For desktop usage low-power cool'n'quiet boxes make much more sense. They are small, too. VIA, Intel Atom, with SSE3 instruction set they have enough computing power to do all multimedia and internet stuff. With Gentoo 1 GB of RAM on these is more than sufficient. Plus they are environmentally friendly (and energy bill friendly).

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## paulomazo

Jaglover, I totally agree with you comments. For common users, newer computers don't mean to much performance improvement like it used to be in the past.

Indeed I would never need a so powerful system just to use amarok, web browsing, watching movies, etc. Of course I'm also going to have a dual boot with windows just to play some games. 

I am very conservative about trying new technology. I am jumping from an old Pentium 4 with some M/B problems (6 years of use) to this i7 just because in my last trip to Japan (for a training on the company I work) I couldn't resist the very low prices compared to my country prices.

For some years I guess I will not think about computer upgrades again...

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## cyrillic

 *Jaglover wrote:*   

> And you really don't need 6 GB of RAM for Linux desktop (will your car run faster is you fit 10 wheels on it instead of factory 4). 

 

No, but it will if you install a 10 cylinder engine instead of the original 4 cylinder  :Wink: 

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## Jaglover

Right, and get tickets because everybody but you is convinced you don't have to go faster.   :Rolling Eyes:  Trust me on this, my Jag has 12 cylinders ...   :Razz: 

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## tgR10

so i'll compare mysefl as a bicyclist to all your 12 cil car's :)

myself - i would go unstable 64bit multilib profile with zen-sources and try bfs as i/o and cpu scheduler, i didn't test it yet on x86_64 but for x86 work a litle bit faster than the linux default

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## Jaglover

Well, the bottom line is if you need power then you better get it.   :Smile:  "If" is the key word here.

@tgR10, if you feel you gotta get smoke out of that box, here's something for you: 

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-309752-highlight-ricer.html

 :Wink: 

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## tgR10

 *Jaglover wrote:*   

> Well, the bottom line is if you need power then you better get it.  :) "If" is the key word here.
> 
> @tgR10, if you feel you gotta get smoke out of that box, here's something for you: 
> 
> https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-309752-highlight-ricer.html
> ...

 

i'v seen that tread long time ago, made me lought so hard i think i felt down from my chair

that bicycle is my 4 years old box :) and there is no need for a new one for me "if" this one still suits all my needs 

i just had tears in my eyes when i red about 286/386 cpu's :)

for now i could compare my box to that i7 as a bike to 12 cil car ;)

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## eccerr0r

car analogies to RAM just doesn't work very well... having a bigger car lets you work with..oh that doesn't work either...

I'm still using 32-bit on my core2's (em64t capable, and they do have 4GB RAM each) mainly due to not wanting to deal with mixed 32/64 bit libraries on the system - I still have other 32-bit boxes too that would be nice if I needed to swap binaries due to mishap or whatnot.  Also because inevitably it can interfere with stuff like wine and flashplayer (at least in the past?) as well as any other unfortunate binary only stuff...

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## Jaglover

paulomazo,

there is something I forgot to tell.

Have no doubts, if you are happy with your computer then it's right for you!   :Very Happy: 

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## fangorn

I am using amd64 multilib for many years now. Be it on Desktops, servers, Crunchers (core i7 920, 12 GB RAM), ... 

If you ask me it does not make sense to restrict a core i7 to 32bit. 

Sooner or later you will start using the performance at hand - and if it is just to have a reason for the quite high energy bill these babies produce (compared with my standard config Athlon X2 BE with 780G or other integrated graphics chipset).

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## d2_racing

 *fangorn wrote:*   

> If you ask me it does not make sense to restrict a core i7 to 32bit. 

 

In fact, it's like having a W16 engine(Veryon) and using a Volkswagen Jetta frame  :Razz: 

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## krinn

 *d2_racing wrote:*   

>  *fangorn wrote:*   If you ask me it does not make sense to restrict a core i7 to 32bit.  
> 
> In fact, it's like having a W16 engine(Veryon) and using a Volkswagen Jetta frame 

 

All those compare try to show that 64 bits is by far more more speeding than 32bits.

I have try with my previous processor (a core2duo), i have just kick off the 64bits CD of unbuntu and : nothing, didn't saw a difference, at least nothing you may notice without a benchmark.

So even 64bits might be faster, it might just be a compare from a bike vs the same bike with a little wind behind the user. Not something to roll on floor and praying 64bits as the default choice for anyone.

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## d2_racing

In fact, but since Intel and AMD built 64 bits CPU, why not use them à 100%  :Razz: 

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## fangorn

I can use the 32bit and the 64bit versions of programs. Some benefit greatly from 64bit (x264, openssl, disk encryption), some don't. But if you go pure 32bit you don't have the options. 

In some very special cases you have to do extra steps to get 32bit software running. But I had that in just one case in many years. (Gimageview did not compile in 64bit and compiled in a 32bit chroot and moved to the 64bit version there was one library missing. Nothing that can't be done.   :Wink:  )

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## cach0rr0

pretty sure I would cry if someone ran a 32bit install with an i7

64bit multilib, easy

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## krinn

```
Portage 2.1.7.16 (default/linux/x86/10.0/desktop, gcc-4.3.2, glibc-2.11-r1, 2.6.31-gentoo i686)

=================================================================

System uname: Linux-2.6.31-gentoo-i686-Intel-R-_Core-TM-_i7_CPU_950_@_3.07GHz-with-gentoo-2.0.1

Timestamp of tree: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:00:01 +0000

distcc 2.18.3 i686-pc-linux-gnu (protocols 1 and 2) (default port 3632) [enabled]

app-shells/bash:     4.0_p35

...

```

Just to make cach0rr0 cry !

My point is not to battle who's best: clearly as d2_racing suggest, if your processor can make both, why not choose 64bits ?

It's just so untrue to state like that 64bits is so far speeder than 32bits, specially for entertaining (fangorn keep showing example of encoding programs that i suppose take some speed up by 64bits, but their decode phase will not or so few, and the general speed will finally be the same)

so to take the topic programs: amarok, firefox, mplayer, skype: no big deal a 32bits i7 can decode your HD video.

vmware: maybe a few more speed in 64bits BUT i think you can only run a 64bits version of another OS in a 64bits vmware: clearly pickup 64bits is the best choice if you plan to run other 64bits OS in vmware.

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## DaggyStyle

 *krinn wrote:*   

> 
> 
> ```
> Portage 2.1.7.16 (default/linux/x86/10.0/desktop, gcc-4.3.2, glibc-2.11-r1, 2.6.31-gentoo i686)
> 
> ...

 

waste of computer  :Wink: 

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## fangorn

waste of energy and annoying to the ears. I have one and layed special interest in a quiet system. It is annoyingly loud compared to my "Server" that runs 7 harddiscs in a hardware RAID5, which is barely recognizable in the living room and uses three times the energy. 

"If you don't use it, don't use it."  :Twisted Evil:   :Wink: 

If you just want to listen to music and play a little sudoku, buy a VIA Epia as second computer (Under 15 Watts for the whole box). If it shall be usefull for a little more, buy a AMD system with BE CPU and chipset graphics (under 250 Euro here in Germany, under 60 Watts for the whole box and you have to seriously fuck up at building to make it "loud") and use this instead of the monster box. The second setup I use for everything besides 3D Egoshooters or HD video conversion.

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## d2_racing

 *cach0rr0 wrote:*   

> pretty sure I would cry if someone ran a 32bit install with an i7
> 
> 64bit multilib, easy

 

In fact, I feel your pain cach0rr0  :Razz: 

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## d2_racing

@krinn, so you own a Jetta instead of a Bugatti  :Razz: 

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## krinn

lmao i own a clio and that's cheaper...

It does an ok job for its tasks (helping my other computers, and at compiling it rocks, and because i don't want cross compiling, until all my pc are 64bits ready, i'll just keep everyone in 32).

But really that's not the better piece of hardware that gave me a speed boost. My raid gave me far much more speed increase.

So having it 32bits or 64bits when your computer wait your hdd to give the info it need to work on just let me think about that :

Who cares if you own a jetta or a bugatti when your car is on a train  :Very Happy: 

(eheh i was wishing to do a car compare too !)

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## d2_racing

You are right  :Razz: 

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## milomak

for me the question is why wouldn't you use 64bit?

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## d2_racing

 *milomak wrote:*   

> for me the question is why wouldn't you use 64bit?

 

Because he has the choice to do so  :Razz: 

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