Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

crazyeyes

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 5, 2005
195
17
Easton PA
Hey guys i just bought an iMac G5 Rev. C I have the standard 512MB DDR2 in it right now. I am going to get more memory for christmas i am just not sure whether i should just go with another 512MB and have 1GB (all i ever had in my pc seemed fine) or get 1GB and have 1.5GB. I mainly surf safari pages, use iChat, MSN Messenger, iTunes, and stuff like that all at once. I plan to eventually get into some photo editing when i get a digital camera here shortly. I am also thinking of doing some video editing to maybe. But yeah basically i could get the 1GB for christmas but i was thinking if i just get the 512MB i could also get a 250GB external HDD. Now i am not sure if i would benefit from the 1.5GB anymore than i would the 1GB. Anyone with experience can you please tell me does the 1.5GB make the computer that much faster than if it had 1GB?
 

liketom

macrumors 601
Apr 8, 2004
4,191
68
Lincoln,UK
1gb will be fine for what you want to do but if you fancy any photoshop work i would go with 1.5

tiger flys at 1gb
 

Heb1228

macrumors 68020
Feb 3, 2004
2,217
1
Virginia Beach, VA
I went from 1GB to 1.5 and it did make a significant difference. Remember that if you add a 512 stick and need to upgrade in the future, you have to throw out the 512 stick to put a 1GB stick in... not very smart with money in my opinion...
 

FocusAndEarnIt

macrumors 601
May 29, 2005
4,628
1,112
More ram the better w/ Mac OS X. Look at this way: Windows is like a maid who cleans up their RAM all the time and is nice and neat... on the other hand.. Mac OS X is like a pig in a pile of mud using as much as it can.

Get the 1GB stick. That's what i'm going to do ;)
 

mr_matalino

macrumors 6502a
Oct 14, 2005
563
248
Go with the 1GB stick. Sure you might be able to get away with the 512MB stick today, but think Leopard, think long term. RAM is a crucial part of how a computer operates. That way, you'll never curse yourself or your computer for how it functions while running who knows what applications Apple or anyone else will come out with in the next few years...:D
 

Danksi

macrumors 68000
Oct 3, 2005
1,554
0
Nelson, BC. Canada
I didn't think there was much $ difference between a 512Mb and 1Gb stick, so 1Gb would be better option.

The $ difference 1Gb and 2Gb sticks is HUGE at the moment. :(
 

andiwm2003

macrumors 601
Mar 29, 2004
4,401
471
Boston, MA
definately go for 1.5 gig total. large photoshop files with many layers need a lot of ram. the only alternative i would consider is sticking with the 512 mb for a while and see if you can get a cheap 2gb stick next spring.

but for now the 1gb stick is only a few bucks more (compared to the total value of the mac). so go for the 1gb stick.
 

StangMan04

macrumors newbie
Nov 6, 2005
13
0
Richmond,Va
1 GB stick, I bought one to go with my old IBM thinkpad, made a difference. And I just switched it to my Dell now which has 1.5GB now and there is a huge difference.
 

nutmac

macrumors 603
Mar 30, 2004
6,175
7,763
If you intend to use mostly consumer level applications (e.g., iPhoto), 1.5 GB would be ideal. However, if you think you will start using pro level applications (e.g., Aperture), you may consider adding 512 MB for now and save up for 2 GB stick (the price should come down over time). Apple recommendeds full 2 GB RAM to run Aperture!
 

wPod

macrumors 68000
Aug 19, 2003
1,654
0
Denver, CO
im a poor college student, so i would say go for the 512 extra (1GB total) just to save money. But, if you have the money, then go for the 1GB extra (1.5 GB total) because you cant go wrong with more RAM.
 

iEdd

macrumors 68000
Aug 8, 2005
1,956
4
Put the 1GB stick in now and it will last you until the prices on the 2GB stick come down :eek:
 

strydr

macrumors 6502
Mar 25, 2005
252
0
SoCal
I just added a 1GB stick to my stock (512MB) iMac. Wow, what a difference. I was actually dissapointed with the performance of my iMac before this upgrade. Now, no more complaints. I love my iMac again. Go with the 1GB, it's not that expensive anymore, and you'll be very happy.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.