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32 bit OS with 64 bit processor - which Linux?

Gocartmozart33
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Hi.

I have an old Acer Aspire One netbook. I would like to speed it up by installing a Linux OS. Belarc tells me it has a 32bit OS but a 64 bit processor. Should I download a 32 bit distro or a 64 bit?

64 bit would be preferable due to continuing support and speed (from what I understand); but would it install?

Thanks.

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With a 32 bit OS, you will be limited to things like a maximum of around 4GB usable RAM, only being able to use 32 bit applications etc. Just download the 64 bit version of the OS you wish to install. Note that x86-64, x64 and AMD64 are all the same as 64 bit.

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That's great; many thanks.

It's an x86 with 2 GB ram.

Any suggestions in relation to which distro to use?

It will be mainly for web browsing; YouTube; reading manuals etc and possibly Spotify (if feasible; and not all at the same time of course with an old set up like this!))

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For some reason Acer loved shipping 64-bit Aspires with 32-bit operating systems for a time in the late 2000s. I have one like that too.

 

If you want to speed it up, then choose a lightweight Linux distribution. Mint XFCE edition might be a good bet for you as it comes with the UI looking reasonably similar to Windows - https://linuxmint.com/download.php

 

Ordinarily I'd recommend Ubuntu, Manjaro or another version of Mint, but they'll feel slow on old hardware.

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pythonmegapixel

into tech, public transport and architecture // amateur programmer // youtuber // beginner photographer

Thanks for reading all this by the way!

By the way, my desktop is a docked laptop. Get over it, No seriously, I have an exterrnal monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset, ethernet and cooling fans all connected. Using it feels no different to a desktop, it works for several hours if the power goes out, and disconnecting just a few cables gives me something I can take on the go. There's enough power for all games I play and it even copes with basic (and some not-so-basic) video editing. Give it a go - you might just love it.

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That's great; many thanks.

I was hoping that one of the Mint editions would be suitable, as it looks like a nice OS from what I've seen of it. I will give Mint XFCE a try. 

I'm looking forward to getting started with Linux. 

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4 minutes ago, Gocartmozart33 said:

That's great; many thanks.

I was hoping that one of the Mint editions would be suitable, as it looks like a nice OS from what I've seen of it. I will give Mint XFCE a try. 

I'm looking forward to getting started with Linux. 

Cool - have fun, and don't hesitate to ask on here if you have any issues.

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pythonmegapixel

into tech, public transport and architecture // amateur programmer // youtuber // beginner photographer

Thanks for reading all this by the way!

By the way, my desktop is a docked laptop. Get over it, No seriously, I have an exterrnal monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset, ethernet and cooling fans all connected. Using it feels no different to a desktop, it works for several hours if the power goes out, and disconnecting just a few cables gives me something I can take on the go. There's enough power for all games I play and it even copes with basic (and some not-so-basic) video editing. Give it a go - you might just love it.

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@Gocartmozart33-- Aspire One will only allow 2GB RAM maximum -- see Acer Community forum post.  What does this mean?  It means 32bit is the best choice for your machine, regardless of the CPU.

 

I believe Mint has a 32bit version, if that is the way you want to go.

 

Please see this post here at LTT for further recommendations.

 

Best wishes and I suggest learning Linux basics yourself.  It's an independent journey well worth taking. 

https://www.linux.com/training-tutorials/complete-beginners-guide-linux/

 

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7 minutes ago, TorC said:

@Gocartmozart33-- Aspire One will only allow 2GB RAM maximum -- see Acer Community forum post.  What does this mean?  It means 32bit is the best choice for your machine, regardless of the CPU.

I'm not sure where you've got that idea from, but it's simply wrong, in 2021 at least.

 

An awful lot of software doesn't even bother with a 32-bit version anymore, and the majority of Ubuntu-based distributions, as well as seemingly Manjaro and Fedora, have all dropped 32-bit support in their recent releases.

 

Regardless of the performance improvements - which I'd say in any case are questionable - there's no point in choosing something which can't run recent software.

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

pythonmegapixel

into tech, public transport and architecture // amateur programmer // youtuber // beginner photographer

Thanks for reading all this by the way!

By the way, my desktop is a docked laptop. Get over it, No seriously, I have an exterrnal monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset, ethernet and cooling fans all connected. Using it feels no different to a desktop, it works for several hours if the power goes out, and disconnecting just a few cables gives me something I can take on the go. There's enough power for all games I play and it even copes with basic (and some not-so-basic) video editing. Give it a go - you might just love it.

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Hi all. Thanks again for the posts in response to mine. 

I installed Linux Mint XFCE (64 bit) earlier today and it seems to be working well. Boot time is still slightly slow (as with its previous Windows 10 OS) but the Aspire One is definitely a lot faster now once booted and Mint looks great. 

I look forward to running through the tutorial TorC; thanks for the link.

I also have an old Samsung NC10 (XP) and an old Acer i5 Laptop; I'm aiming to install Linux on these as well to speed them up. 

 

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For those who do not think a 32bit distro has enough software available -- Debian 32bit -- Debian, with the largest software library of ANY linux distro.  Then there is ubuntu and mint (not much difference under the skin) -- 2nd or 3rd place as far as software availability goes. 

 

BTW -- does anyone here in these forums (users) know enough about GNU/Linux to be able to use Slackware?  Now there's a distro with limited software availability, because the philosophy it embraces is KISS.

 

@Gocartmozart33 -- you're welcome;  enjoy and learn for yourself the power of Linux!

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