Q:

Ubuntu amd64 instead of i386 - cause for slow booting?

When trying to find out why my laptop takes 2 minutes to boot I noticed I have the amd64 version of Ubuntu 16.04 installed instead of the i386 version which would be the appropriate one for using my Intel i5 processor.
Is it problematic to use the amd64 version with an Intel processor and can I switch to the i386 version without loosing files from my home directory?
Could this be the reason why Ubuntu is booting so slow?

A:

No, i386 is for 32-bit CPUs. amd64 is for 64-bit CPUs, like your i5. There is never a speed difference when on a 64-bit CPU.
DO NOT switch to the i386 version of Ubuntu. It will, in some cases, actually slow your computer down further by limiting it to 2 GB of RAM.

