64 bit vs 32 bit

[g4143]

Here's the deal. If you download and install 64 bit Linux on a 64 bit Intel/AMD box then you should be able to run both 32 and 64 bit software on the host 64 bit machine. If you down load and install 32 bit Linux on a 32 or 64 bit machine then you can only run 32 bit software...

Also a 32 bit box can and does support more than 4 GB of memory if you install the correct kernel - "PAE kernel" where PAE = physical address extensions allows the kernel to address past the 4 GB boundary...that is if the motherboard will support +4GB....G4143