32 or 64bit.. which one?

[Maxime]

Hi guys, I'll do my first FreeNAS installation using this hardware:
Intel E5700, 4Gb DDR3 Ram, on THIS booting device; storage will be 2 drives (2Tb each one), Raid1 configuration.
Due to Ram limitation, I will not use ZFS; which version shall I install, 32 or 64bit?
Thanks!

 

[dlavigne]

If the CPU supports it, always install 64-bit. As a side-note, 32-bit is deprecated in the upcoming 9.3.

 

[Ericloewe]

Keep in mind there won't be UFS in 9.3

 

[cyberjock]

What they said.

Considering your hardware I'd either upgrade it to handle ZFS or go with a different OS.

 

[pschatz100]

None of the forum regulars use the 32 bit version and I know it doesn't get tested like the 64bit version. Don't bother with 32 bit - it will be a waste of time.

I have a 2x2Tb ZFS mirror, and even with such a small pool, my system is allocating 6.5 Gb of memory for various purposes. Take the 8Gb memory minimum seriously. Also, I suspect your setup does not support ECC memory, so you won't get much sympathy around here when you lose your data.

At the end of the day, you are not even close to the FreeNAS 9 recommended minimum's.