Snow Leopard - Mac OS X - 64 or 32 bit
- Are you running your Mac in 64-bit Kernel mode?
- Are you utilizing all of your RAM?
- Can your Mac actually run FASTER than it currently is now?
- Is your current hardware & software capable of running in 64-bit mode?
The answers may surprise you.
Most users of Snow Leopard, with exception of Macbook Pro 2011 and the latest-gen Mac Pros users, are actually running in 32-bit Kernel Mode. The fastest way to tell if you are running in 64-bit Kernel Mode or not is to click on the Apple Menu, then choose About This Mac, then click More Info. Then on the left-hand side, scroll down to and click on Software. Finally, on the right, look for 64-bit Kernel and Extensions: Yes or No. If yes, then you are running in 64-bit Kernel Mode.
So, why does it matter? I don't know about you, but one of the new features of Snow Leopard, when it was about to be released, that I was really excited about was the fact that it was a 64-bit OS. Remember the promise of 64-bit processing and access to RAM above 4Gb? I don't have definitive proof yet, and the Apple Care (Senior Support Advisor) representative didn't have concrete documentation to confirm or deny, although he did agree with my theory, I suspect that my Macbook Pro (2010 model) was not using all of my 8Gb of RAM while running in 32-bit Kernel mode.
Everything, now that I'm running in 64-bit mode, seems to run much faster. And I have more free memory available after opening my usual (daily) applications, which includes a Win7 virtual machine running in Oracle / Sun Virtual Box with 1Gb of RAM. And opening and closing apps has become much faster as well. For example, when resuming the aforementioned Win7 virtual machine under 32-bit mode, it would take 1 1/2 minutes to resume OR suspend. Now, under 64-bit mode, it takes 8 - 10 SECONDS! Even boot-up / login time has decreased significantly. Makes me say, "Where has this information been? Why didn't I know about this a year ago?"
The question of compatibility always comes up when the discussion of 64-bit OS's come to the table. I'm not sure its even possible in Windows Vista or Win7, but in Snow Leopard you can make the switch to 64-bit, try out all of your hardware and software to determine compatibility, then if need-be, make the switch back to 32-bit without any major hassle. It's literally a 1 line command in the terminal window and a reboot to make the switch to or from 64-bit Kernel mode.
I had one piece of hardware, that has given me issues in the past anyway, that does not have 64-bit drivers and will no longer work. All of my software, so far, is working fine; even IF its only a 32-bit app.
Open the Activity Monitor application and sort by Kind. There you will be able to determine what apps and / or processes are 64-bit. More and more applications are being re-written to take advantage of the new 64-bit architecture in Snow Leopard. Well over 1/2 of all processes running on my Macbook Pro are 64-bit.
So what are you waiting for? Give it a try and post your results here.
Just use the link below to the Apple.com support article for information regarding making the switch (doesn't have to be permanent) to 64-bit architecture.
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