Will Elementary OS 32 bits performs better then 64 bits on Intel Atom N455 processor?

Question

I have a Toshiba NB305 PLL3AC-033014 with an Atom N455 (64 bits capable) and 2GB of DDR3 Ram running Elementary OS (Freya 0.3.1) 64 bits installed on a Samsung 120 GB 850 EVO SSD. The performance is OK. The computer is not super slow, but the overall experience is not really fluid. By that I mean I don't really see any transition or animation because they are too choppy, some programs and web pages take forever to open while other take a couple of seconds, Scrolling up and down is almost always laggy, etc.

My question is, will I see a noticeable improvement on the overall performance by installing the 32 bits version of Elementary OS, or is the processor on this computer probably just too weak to really provide a fluent experience? Also, if you think the problem can be elsewhere be sure to let me know.

Thanks for your help, Xavier R-T

Answer 1

While it probably won't result in a noticeable difference, a 32 bit install will use slightly less RAM overall as the OS addresses it differently and you don't need to load both 32 and 64 bit libraries into memory if programs require them. Use the free -m command to see if you are running out of RAM when these stutters occur.

If you have a little to spare you could look in your BIOS to see if you can allocate more or less RAM to the integrated graphics card.

Answer 2

On ark.intel.com your processor only capable handle 2GB memory RAM is useless if you use 64bit OS, since pointers can take up twice as much space on a 64-bit operating system. You should go with 32bit version.