I know that Select @@Version works, but is there a better more reliable
way to tell if its x64 or x86 that i don't have to parse the string.

One option is to use the extended procedure master..xp_msver.

NEWSEQUINTIALID()
Slow Stored Procedure Execution
Join Question
How to use "Not Exists" ?
how to specify a dynamic create string as backup name in job