While 64-bit support is now considered common for both Intel
and AMD processors, many Linux (as well as Windows) users are uncertain
whether to use a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system with there being
advantages for both paths. With this being the last Phoronix article for
2006, we decided to take this opportunity to look at the common question
of whether to use 32-bit or 64-bit software. In this article, we will be
comparing the i386 and x86_64 performance with Ubuntu 6.10 Edgy Eft and
Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn Herd 1 to see how the numbers truly stack up.
