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Well, today when I headed to download page, there were 3 options for me as follows:

  1. 64 Bit
  2. 32 Bit (for machines with less than 2 GB RAM)
  3. 64 Bit Mac (AMD64)

I know that you need a good system to run 64 Bit operating system. But the 32 bit download option have confused me, because it tells you to install 32 bit in those machines which have got 2 GB RAM.

In my case, I have got 3 GB RAM. But my processor is Core 2 Quad, I have an old NVIDIA Graphics Card- I don't think I should use 64 bit in my PC. So I am in a fix, I am confused about the extra words tagged with the 32 bit download option.

So in brief, If I try to use 64 Bit, I don't think it would be good for my PC as I don't have much good specs. And If I try to use 32 Bit, I have to have less than 2 GB ram, but I have got 3 GB.

Ahmed Sadman
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2 Answers2

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Your processor is 64 bit with 4 cores, you have enough memory to comfortable work, so why not to install 64 bit system ? You definitely should try it. You will be satisfied with performance of ubuntu 14.04 64 bit

EdiD
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If you have a 64 bit processor, I think it's best to use a 64 bit OS when available. It doesn't matter what video card you have. But with 64 bit, you can access more than 4 GB of RAM if you decide you need it later. But you can't upgrade from 32 to 64 bit, so once you install one, you would need to reinstall to change in the future.

One thing to remember about linux is that you can copy the OS from one system to a new system. So, if you get a new computer that's more powerful, you can copy your existing 64 bit OS to the new system if you want, and it will work.

Also, I believe many tests have shown that the 64 bit system performs better in some situations.

EDIT, I don't know who came up with the guidelines for which version to use on the Ubuntu page, but it doesn't really make a lot of sense. Why 2GB? 32 bit can access up to 4 GB. And it doesn't even address whether you have a 32 bit or 64 bit CPU.

Marty Fried
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