Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonhendry
Snow Leopard runs 64 bit apps fine without running the kernel in 64 bit. If you're not running the kernel in 64 bit, a 32 bit DisplayLink driver is perfectly adequate.
The benefits of running the kernel in 64 bit are somewhat nebulous.
Some Macs with 64 bit-capable CPUs don't even support the 64 bit kernel because the machine has 32-bit EFI, or because the machine is on a hardcoded list of machines which don't support 64 bit kernel operation.
If you're booting the kernel in 64 bit, is there a reason why you're doing so?
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The benefits of running a 64-bit kernel are improved memory management for users who are attempting to access more than 4GB total memory between their RAM and their graphics cards. 64-bit Userland (32-bit kernel with 64-bit applications) means that all memory in your system can be addressed, however can not be assigned to a single process.
I am booting into the 32-bit kernel on my Macbook Pro (8GB memory) because I regularly need to use my 3 monitors when I am at my desk. This productivity improvement exceedingly outweighs the slowdown by having GCC, Postgres or other tasks max out at 3.25GB.