32 or 64 bit advice

[Colin23erk]

I have a HP stream 11 notebook that I want to install Linux lite 2.8   
its spec is ---



Processor  ---  Intel Celeron N3050 with Intel HD Graphics
                            (1.6 GHz, up to 2.16 GHz, 2 MB cache, 2 cores)
Memory  ---  2 GB DDR3L SDRAM (onboard)

Storage  ---  Internal drive  ---  32 GB eMMC
                        SD card    ---  32GB 

  It has Windows 10 - 64bit pre installed . I am considering replacing Windows 10 with Lite 2.8  .
Which would the best version for me 32bit or 64 bit . I assume the UEFI version is not yet available but is it likely to be released soon 

[Wirezfree]

UEFI will come some time, but not for a while yet...

Use 64 bit for that CPU.

You will need to enable "Legacy" Mode in the BIOS.
Press Esc when you power on... Then F10 to get to the BIOS.
Then move to "System Configuration"


This may help:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_q...+11+ubuntu

[firenice03]

I'd second the 64-bit..
You mention replace, so you will be only booting LL? or planing a dual boot?
Not sure how old/new this device is... Or what drivers are needed for video/network and so on..
I would research this or at least see how well a live environment runs noting the kernel..
2.8 comes with 3.19

Research will be your friend for the best results...

Some Info:
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Op...-p/5230787

PS.. welcome back 

[torreydale]

Try the Live Media of both options, 32-bit and 64-bit.  As of March 1, 2016, you won't be able to use Google Chrome with the 32-bit option, but you might get better performance.

I say this because I installed 64-bit on a medium spec machine and it didn't perform as expected.  When I installed 32-bit on the same machine, it worked noticeably better.  You don't have to do a full install like I did, but trying before installing using the Live CD/Media option could be revealing. 

P.S.  For the same concern you've issued, I now have prebuilt LL images in 32-bit and 64-bit with the help of Systemback.  When helping a new user get with Linux Lite, if I'm on the fence about which version to install, I can try out either option in a matter of minutes to see which works better.

[Colin23erk]

Thanks Guys


The reason I asked was I had read that in some cases the 32bit works faster than the 64bit  Is the difference significant or not


The computer was purchased in Nov 2015


this is the info I have from HP



Graphics  ---  Intel HD Graphics
Ports  ---  1 HDMI , 1 headphone/microphone combo , 1  USB 2.0 , 1 USB  3.0 
Expansion slots  ---    microSD media card reader
Audio features  ---  TS Studio Sound; Dual speakers
Pointing device  ---  HP Imagepad with multi-touch gesture support
Wireless  ---  802.11b/g/n (1x1) and Bluetooth 4.0 combo


I will try a USB 64bit live version to see if the drivers are recognized




Thanks for the Google Chrome info - I assumed it was all Linux after reading the warning


I was concerned if the Chrome addons would work with Chromium if I migrated


I was thinking that with such a small memory it would be impractical to duel boot . I was intending making a Backup copy of Windows so I could reinstal it if needed

[newtusmaximus]

Not sure why 64 bit would benefit when you have only 2GB Ram?.  My desktop runs sweetly on 32 bit + 3GB Ram

[firenice03]

Colin,

These maybe worth a read
http://askubuntu.com/questions/578187/hp...tu-install
- Ignore the UEFI stuff as you'll be installing in legacy.

http://farrin.me.uk/linux-mint-on-hp-stream-11

As I mentioned kernel is going to make a difference; looking like 3.19 or above (LL2.8 should be ok) and even then some drivers may need updated and additional configurations... (See the 2nd link)

[torreydale]

Your Google Chrome add-ons and extensions should follow you to Chromium when you log into Chromium using your Google Chrome account.  Based on this link, the Linux Lite folks have added pepperflash to Chromium.  Pepperflash is something you will need to view things which require Adobe flash. 

Dual booting wouldn't be affected by your amount of memory.  Whichever operating system you boot to will have access to all of the 2GB of memory. 

I was unhappy with my dual processor machine at 2.3Ghz and 4GB of memory running Windows 7 32-bit and especially 64-bit.  The same desktop machine that I purchased in 2007 is running LL 2.8 64-bit better than it ever ran Windows Vista or Windows 7.  I've upgraded to 7GB of RAM, and I feel the PC has another 5 years in it.

If you've used your HP Stream 11 with Windows on it, I think you'll notice an improvement with whichever version of Linux Lite you choose.  I can say when I shifted a user's middle spec hardware from LL 64-bit to LL 32-bit, the performance was noticeable.  That machine was dual core (I'm guessing about 2GHz) and 3GB of DDR2 RAM.  The hard drive was only 5400 rpm, but the difference in performance from 64-bit to 32-bit was noticeable.....on his hardware.

I do not think you'll have a problem with drivers.  Your processor and video graphics are Intel based.  The only major item I don't know about is your wireless adapter.  But I don't expect that to be a show stopper either.

[justme2]

Not sure why 64 bit would benefit when you have only 2GB Ram?.  My desktop runs sweetly on 32 bit + 3GB Ram

My 32 bit netbook with 1GB Ram runs LL2.8 sweetly. Typically less than 200MB ram is in use unless I'm editing video files. Why is 64bit becoming a necessity if there is a performance hit? I noticed that my friends 64bit/4GB quad core PC with Windows 10 seems very slow. I'm confused as to whether upgrading to a 64bit system is wise. I know that 32bit systems are getting scarce, but are we 'being taken for a ride' by manufacturers?

[torreydale]

justme2,
I wonder if your friend's quad core processor is 1.9 GHz or slower and if the drive is 5400 rpm, 7200 rpm, or SSD?

Even with the laptop specs you see in my profile, I was unhappy with Windows 7.  My core i5 is only dual-core, but it is quad threaded.  So Linux sees it as a quad-core processor.  Things run much, much better with the same hardware under Linux Lite.  I only use Windows in a VM for one app.  An app I only need to access 1-3 times per year.