Actually the machine has a true 64-bit AMD processor from what I gather.
Would you recommend I try a 32 bit distro all the same?
The 32-bit will work on the 64-bit machine. But if your machine is truly a 64-bit, then go ahead and install the 64-bit version. Any problems you encounter will be related to something else. Probably video-card support.
That’s the only problem I’ve really ever encountered installing different distros (and I’ve installed many). Some video cards don’t have the best support in Linux, but if you’re just messing around to learn some Linux, you can fall back on a generic VESA driver and be just fine.
Will be waiting to hear how it goes for you. Good luck.