Linux Mint Forums

Are there any limits on the amount or configuration of RAM which can be used with Linux ? I know there are on some Windows systems and I want to upgrade my Asus P5B motherboard to 2 x 2GB from 1Gb.

In general, 32-bit versions see up to 3.2 GB of RAM, thereabouts. If you have more than 4 GB of RAM, you are better served with a 64-bit version. If you have 32-bit hardware with 4 GB of RAM, I have seen PAE kernels in other distros that work. I am sure folks have opinions to share, and searching this forum will give you a couple of related threads.

As an example: http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=90&t=26103

Thanks. Would that apply to Windows 7 also ? I think my hardware takes 64bit but I've always understood it was less stable and had no real benefits.

I have not used any Microsoft products since Windows 98, so I am not able to give much advice on those non-Linux applications. However, if you are basing your feelings about Linux 64-bit in comparison to Windows 64-bit, I would throw that data off to the side and begin anew in Linux-mode. Sometimes that old proprietary baggage gets in the way and clouds your judgment.

On my hardware that is 32-bit, I use 32-bit Linux. On my hardware that is 64-bit, I use 64-bit Linux. As far as Mint is concerned, when I match the hardware to the operating system, I get rock-solid reliability and stability. Unless you are using some extremely unusual or obscure non-Linux applications, 64-bit is basically identical to 32-bit.