Translations:FAQ/25/en

In fact, there is no difference between the various releases after they have been installed. Gentoo 1.4 and later are  (or higher) based. As such, running will bring the entire system up to speed with the "latest Gentoo". The differences between individual releases lie in the installation medium and pre-compiled packages. See the Gentoo Upgrading Guide for more information about profiles and their role in upgrading.