When AMD and Intel launched their first 64-bit processors there were tons of articles focusing on 32-bit vs. 64-bit, but they all focused on Microsoft's 64-bit versions of Windows. Linux has had 64-bit support for quite a lot longer and over at Phoronix they've published a fresh comparison with AMD's latest processor series Phenom. They took a Phenom 9500 and Ubuntu 8.04 and tested the performance under both 32-bit and 64-bit to see if there are any differences. In most cases, the 64-bit version of Ubuntu was somewhat slower than the 32-bit version. But when encoding music and compressing files, Ubuntu x86_64 came out on top.
These tests are not meant to be all-inclusive or try to convince you to stick to 32-bit or 64-bit Linux, but simply publishing these results per reader requests. If you are trying to decide between a 32-bit or 64-bit distribution, a whole lot more comes into play than just the benchmark results but there is binary software compatibility issues (leading the pack is Adobe Flash) and other matters to consider.
The benchmarks clearly show that there are both pros and cons of a 64-bit operating system. Whether the pros outweigh the cons is up to you to decide.
:: Check out the benchmarks over at Phoronix
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