Further Investigating The Raspberry Pi 32-bit vs. 64-bit Performance

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Further Investigating The Raspberry Pi 32-bit vs. 64-bit Performance

Finally released earlier this month was the first official 64-bit build of Raspberry Pi OS, the official Debian-based operating system of the low-cost Raspberry Pi single board computers. Following that I posted some Raspberry Pi 32-bit vs. 64-bit benchmarks. Given that generated a fair amount of interest and also some open questions, here is round two of looking at the Raspberry Pi 32-bit vs. 64-bit performance including its impact on memory usage and thermals.

https://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=30916

[Slartifartblast]

Again, compelling reasons for 64bit. A huge upgrade in performance for zero outlay.

[euduvda]

Hi. Is 32bit platform still used to day?

As far as I know, a lot.
Basically, all of the non 8GB versions are running 32 bit OS. The performance advantage wasn't obvious.

And maybe if you didn't see it, the official 64 bit version was announced very recently.

[sinepgib]

I think this is the kind of use where either x32 or simply having a few spins with different optimization levels could be useful. Very limited aim (only a few models of RPi around), and no need for pointer bloat for the 4GiB editions. Same can be done for different generations.

[Vorpal]

The memory usage seems like a big downside on the lower spec models. Even on my 4GB model (which runs headless as a home automation server) I don't see a good reason to go to 64-bit after reading this review.

I have a Pi 2 (not 64 bit capable, but demonstrates the point) running the unifi controller at my parents. It has 1 GB RAM if I recall correctly, and it frequently ends up swapping. So I can't imagine the 64 bit build being usable on 1 GB models.

[brent]

AFAICT the difference is a bit bigger than it should be. I wonder if there are some constant factors playing into it? The charts certainly show a constant min/max offset. Is that reserved memory like CMA that ends up with a bigger default allocation on 64 bit maybe?

[M@yeulC]

I have a Pi 2 (not 64 bit capable, but demonstrates the point) running the unifi controller at my parents. It has 1 GB RAM if I recall correctly, and it frequently ends up swapping. So I can't imagine the 64 bit build being usable on 1 GB models.

Exact same situation except with a Pi3, with unifi plus homeassistant at my parents. zram helps quite a bit. I also limit max memory usage of the docker containers. I've burnt trough one SD card at least due to swapping (especially during backups). IIRC, I'm on a 64-bit system. This article certainly makes me reconsider. I might go to a 32bit one, or use an old phone with more than 1G of RAM+postmarketos...
I've also considered building my own usb adapter to swap on old DDR sticks... I'm going to look up if that exists :P

[s_j_newbury]

I think this is the kind of use where either x32 or simply having a few spins with different optimization levels could be useful. Very limited aim (only a few models of RPi around), and no need for pointer bloat for the 4GiB editions. Same can be done for different generations.

https://wiki.debian.org/Arm64ilp32Port

It's actually the perfect use case.

[jochendemuth]

Phoronix: Further Investigating The Raspberry Pi 32-bit vs. 64-bit Performance

Finally released earlier this month was the first official 64-bit build of Raspberry Pi OS, the official Debian-based operating system of the low-cost Raspberry Pi single board computers. Following that I posted some Raspberry Pi 32-bit vs. 64-bit benchmarks. Given that generated a fair amount of interest and also some open questions, here is round two of looking at the Raspberry Pi 32-bit vs. 64-bit performance including its impact on memory usage and thermals.

https://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=30916

Hi Michael, I am confused by the test setup documentation. I understand that you ran all tests on the same hardware, but the 32-bit configuration reports BCM2711 based motherboard, while the 64-bit configuration reports BCM2835. Also, you're clearly stating above that you're comparing the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Raspbian - yet the 64-bit configuration reports as Debian.
I missed this in the original article, but the configurations are documented the same there. I didn't see a comment in either article.

Can anyone explain these differences?

Much appreciated,
- J.

[Vorpal]

Exact same situation except with a Pi3, with unifi plus homeassistant at my parents. zram helps quite a bit. I also limit max memory usage of the docker containers. I've burnt trough one SD card at least due to swapping (especially during backups). IIRC, I'm on a 64-bit system. This article certainly makes me reconsider. I might go to a 32bit one, or use an old phone with more than 1G of RAM+postmarketos...
I've also considered building my own usb adapter to swap on old DDR sticks... I'm going to look up if that exists :P

You are running more things on that device than me, so different situation, but consider using a larger SD card. I used a fast/high end (at the time) 64 GB microsd from SanDisk that I had lying around (my new phone didn't have a microsd slot). It doesn't need to be nearly that large, but it results in spare capacity for wear leveling.

I'm going to try zswap or zram on it though (thanks for that idea), seems like a good plan.