How to find if installed app is 64bit? Mac OSX

[gjm]

Hello... Is there somewhere I can look on my Mac to check if a couple of applications are 32bit or 64bit?

I have 4GB RAM and its my understanding that if an application is 32bit then it will not use more than 4 GB RAM if I install 8 GB.

I did look in >About this Mac>More info>Software>Applications>Logic Express 8 and found that it was listed as 'No' under the 64bit column. Would this be the info I need to confirm my question?

Thanks

[steko]

Hello... Is there somewhere I can look on my Mac to check if a couple of applications are 32bit or 64bit?

Activity Monitor (Applications/Utilities) the "kind" column (app must be running). Or just highlight an app in Finder -> get Info -> if you see: "open in 32-bit-mode", then it's 64/32 universal.

I have 4GB RAM and its my understanding that if an application is 32bit then it will not use more than 4 GB RAM if I install 8 GB.

Yep, 32bit up to 4 GB.

More than 4 GB RAM will be better for sure me thinks: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1342

[gjm]

Activity Monitor (Applications/Utilities) the "kind" column (app must be running). Or just highlight an app in Finder -> get Info -> if you see: "open in 32-bit-mode", then it's 64/32 universal.

Excellent. Thank you.

I have 4GB RAM and its my understanding that if an application is 32bit then it will not use more than 4 GB RAM if I install 8 GB.

Yep, 32bit up to 4 GB.

More than 4 GB RAM will be better for sure me thinks: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1342

Whats the reasoning behind you thinking that more than 4GB will be better?

When I open the activity Monitor and check "kind" its clear that the majority of programs are 64bit. Is it stoopid of me to think that if I install more RAM then the RAM use will be spread around?... meaning that somehow the 64bit programs will take advantage of more available RAM leaving more 'headroom' for the 32bit apps to take more of the 4GB they are allowed? Make sense?

Also, if an AU is 64bit, but the host DAW is 32bit, can the AU take advantage of more RAM while functioning inside of the 32bit DAW?

[steko]

You're welcome!

Whats the reasoning behind you thinking that more than 4GB will be better?

You recently talking about Photoshop (RAM hog…).

When I open the activity Monitor and check "kind" its clear that the majority of programs are 64bit. Is it stoopid of me to think that if I install more RAM then the RAM use will be spread around?... meaning that somehow the 64bit programs will take advantage of more available RAM leaving more 'headroom' for the 32bit apps to take more of the 4GB they are allowed? Make sense?

Just open Activity Monitor & check your RAM usage in a typical scenario. If you you don't get (bigger amounts of) Page outs & Swap (see link in my 1st post) all the time, no need for more RAM. If you do get those, more RAM will make a huge performance difference (though maybe not in the sense of a higher track count in Live).

Also, if an AU is 64bit, but the host DAW is 32bit, can the AU take advantage of more RAM while functioning inside of the 32bit DAW?

You can't run 64-bit AUs in a 32-bit DAW.


Your personal system admin sincerely

[audiovoid]

EDIT: I jumped the gun on this post. Just read that live is still a 32 bit app. I could've sworn that the latest version of live was supposed to be 64bit but my memory is funky.

I just noticed that in my activity monitor live 8.2.7 does not have 64bit listed under the 'Kind' column. If im on Lion running the latest version of live shouldnt this show up as 64 bit?

[gjm]

Your personal system admin sincerely

Happy New Year steko.

[steko]

Happy New Year gjm (& everybody)!

BTW another way would be: alt(option)-click the Apple-menu - > System-Profiler -> Applications -> sort by "64-Bit" column.