After installing the latest Linux Ubuntu 6.10 distribution, code named Edgy Eft, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions on the same machine, we found that Ubuntu for AMD64 is faster in Zlib benchmark for over 20 percent. However, 32-bit version of popular Linux distribution was faster in MD5 and Blowfish tests for about 19% and 4% percent, respectively.
The benchmarks were done on a budget configuration, featuring AMD Sempron 2800+ processor, Asus K8U-X motherboard, and 512MB of DDR memory. We have benchmarked with Sempron clocked at default 1.6GHz, as same as with 30% overclocked CPU using JumperFree configuration in motherboard’s BIOS.
The results are in seconds. Lower is better.
Using Zlib and AMD Sempron processor at default 1.6GHz, a 64MB of data was compressed for 4,28 seconds in 64-bit mode, which is for 21,4 percent faster than the same operation in 32-bit environment. After overcocking, the 64-bit Zlib test was done for 3,27 sec, which is faster than 32-bit compression for 23 percent.
The MD5 sum for 312MB of data in 32-bit Ubuntu was generated for 6,69 and 5,4 seconds at 1.6GHz and 2.08GHz clock speed, respectively. It’s faster than the same operation in 64-bit environment for 18,9 and 19,3 percent.
Blowfish benchmark shows 32-bit’s advantage compared to 64-bit for 4.2 percent at both processor clock speeds.
We made these Ubuntu 6.10 Linux 64-bit vs 32-bit benchmarks using the simple Hardinfo application, which can be easily obtained via Synaptic Package Manager. The Hardinfo also provides CPU Fibonacci and SHA1 benchmarks, but on our machine Fibonacci showed 0.00 result on both 64 and 32-bit Ubuntu, while the application crashed during the SHA1 test in 64-bit.
