32bit freebsd 7 on 64x2 system for desktop

[cysquatch]

Greetings one and all!
::warning, this is a bit of a "in linux i did this n that" post::

Okay, moving right along...
Ive used linux for a few years, am interested in converting, did some research on the software and found I can go ahead with a freebsd system for my desktop.

Some hardware questions though:

I have a dual core AMDX2 that I want to run with a 32bit os. I got the processor as a cheap upgrade to a dual-core processor. It's a funky socket that also supported a 32-bit Sempron when I recieved the system. Socket 939 or something like that. It was short lived.

My plan is to run a 32-bit smp kernel on said processor. Should work?

In using a GNU/Linux system, I always have had to pass the noapic option and use the VESA driver on my Nvidia 7300 GT PCIE card until the NVIDIA drivers could be downloaded and installed. So my question is this:
Will smp work in 32-bit on a 64-bit kernel. Again I want to just run straight 32-bit across the board. And second, will FreeBSD recognize my PCIE card?
Thanks, for any info you can provide!

[graudeejs]

as i understand you will be running FreeBSD amd64, right?
If so, i warn you that nvidia drivers aren't available for 64bit.....

32bit should work

[LateNiteTV]

32 bit will work. i run it on my amd64 just fine. it enables smp by default and recognizes multiple cores.

[roddierod]

the PCIe card should be no problem. I have GeForce 7800 GTX PCIe and it runs fine with the nv xorg driver or the Nvidia driver and on the console.

[BSDfan666]

Right, i386+SMP on a AMD64 system, yes, that will work...

[TerryP]

Originally Posted by cysquatch

is this:
Will smp work in 32-bit on a 64-bit kernel. Again I want to just run straight 32-bit across the board. And second, will FreeBSD recognize my PCIE card?
Thanks, for any info you can provide!

SMP works on i386 and amd64 versions of FreeBSD


My desktop used an nVidia GeForce 6200 till it died and now a 8400GS card, all PCI Express x16 without problems.


nVidia drivers == better on 32-bit so I hear, so I would assume that's a fair reason to go with i386 instead of amd64 -> not that I bother with X that much lol.

Others here would know better about the drivers performance.

[phoenix]

Install the 32-bit i386 version of FreeBSD. That will run your CPU in 32-bit mode, and everything will "just work".

[LateNiteTV]

Originally Posted by TerryP

SMP works on i386 and amd64 versions of FreeBSD


My desktop used an nVidia GeForce 6200 till it died and now a 8400GS card, all PCI Express x16 without problems.


nVidia drivers == better on 32-bit so I hear, so I would assume that's a fair reason to go with i386 instead of amd64 -> not that I bother with X that much lol.
Others here would know better about the drivers performance.

lol they only work on 32bit. theres a great thread about this crap on nVnews.

[Weaseal]

Originally Posted by cysquatch

....It's a funky socket that also supported a 32-bit Sempron when I recieved the system. Socket 939 or something like that. It was short lived.

I don't mean to nit-pick but Socket 939 was absolutely NOT short-lived or funky :P it enjoyed many years of popular success.

[Carpetsmoker]

Originally Posted by LateNiteTV

lol they only work on 32bit. theres a great thread about this crap on nVnews.

The reason there is no FreeBSD 64 bit driver is because of the shortcomings of the FreeBSD kernel, not because of nvidia.
See:
http://wiki.freebsd.org/NvidiaFeatureRequests