32 bit guests slower on 64 bit hosts?

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on other (unsupported) hosts like FreeBSD.
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nikitastepanov
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Joined: 14. Apr 2019, 13:44

32 bit guests slower on 64 bit hosts?

Post by nikitastepanov »

32 bit guests slower on 64 bit hosts?
birdie
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Re: 32 bit guests slower on 64 bit hosts?

Post by birdie »

nikitastepanov wrote:32 bit guests slower on 64 bit hosts?
VBox doesn't support 32bit hosts, so your question doesn't make sense.
mpack
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Re: 32 bit guests slower on 64 bit hosts?

Post by mpack »

nikitastepanov wrote:32 bit guests slower on 64 bit hosts?
Not that I've noticed, nor can I think of any reason why it would be the case.

And, as Birdie points out, the option to use a 32bit host was discarded several versions back, so it's not like this discussion could lead anywhere useful.

I see you've asked 32bit vs 64bit questions before, so let me forestall the future variants: "32bit vs 64bit" refers to the build of the operating system. It has absolutely nothing to do with speed, as the same hypothetical CPU is running in both cases. The only purpose of a 64bit OS build is removing the 2GB/4GB data limit for single apps while maintaining an attractively simple, flat memory model. The decision has no impact on speed, except incidentally (e.g. severe memory constraints can lead to paging, 64bit systems are subject to that same rule but tend to be given more RAM. But if you weren't hitting those constraints then it's a distinction without a difference).

As to the best choice of OS: it's a choice between an OS which can run both 32bit and 64bit apps, and another which is restricted (for practical or marketing reasons I believe, since I'm not aware of any technical limitation) to running 32bit apps only, and so will be unable to run the latest versions of many apps. Take your pick.
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