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Apple states on their site:

“The entire computing industry is moving from 32-bit to 64-bit technology, and it’s easy to see why. Today’s Mac computers can hold up to 32GB of physical memory, but the 32-bit applications that run on them can address only 4GB of RAM at a time. 64-bit computing shatters that barrier by enabling applications to address a theoretical 16 billion gigabytes of memory, or 16 exabytes. It can also enable computers to crunch twice the data per clock cycle, which can dramatically speed up numeric calculations and other tasks. Earlier versions of Mac OS X have offered a range of 64-bit capabilities. Now Snow Leopard takes the next step in the transition from 32-bit to 64-bit.”

So the question is; are you taking advantage of the 64-bit Processing speed of Mac OS X: Snow Leopard? If you want to make the kernel start up in 64-bit, hold the 6 and 4 keys on the keyboard at startup. Though applications can still run in 64-bit while the OS is 32-bit, starting up in 64-bit will be marginally faster. Be wary of losing application support, though.

32-bit kernel vs. 64-bit kernel

Is running a 64-bit kernel really that great? I searched the web and talked to Apple about this, and found out that what you’re doing when you hold down the 6 and 4 buttons during startup is actually booting the kernel into 64-bit mode. For 99.99% of users out there, booting up as usual with the 32-bit kernel is more than adequate. Your 64-bit applications, including the Finder, will still run super quick while the kernel is in 32-bit mode. There is no difference in the speed of 64-bit applications while your kernel is in 32-bit mode. 64-bit mode is useful only to hardcore users and servers.  The chart below taken from Apple.com show’s common operation performance.

© 2009 Apple, Inc.

So now it’s your turn.  Boot your new Macintosh in to 64-bit and take the plunge.  Leave a comment of your experience and tell everyone what you think.  Remember to check to see if your computer can actually boot in to 64-bit.  You can check compatibility on Apple Support site Article HT3770.  Most of the computers Apple sells now are capable of booting in to 64-bit. If you’re not sure if you are already booted in to a 64-bit Kernel, you can check in System Profiler and click on “Software”.  This will give you a System Software Overview and tell you if you are running at 64-bit.

written by AppleMacGenius \\ tags: 64-bit, Mac OS X, Snow Leopard