I am looking to upgrade a Macbook from the measly 512MB of RAM that it came with. Is it worth the extra cost to upgrade to 2GB instead of 1GB? I understand that I currently have 2 256MB sticks so I will probably purchase two new sticks anyway. Where are the best places to buy RAM these days and are there any special kinds that I need to get for a Macbook? Thanks.
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RAM Upgrade Options
- Thread starter WaarrEagle
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I recommend OWC or DMS. Both sites have online wizards that will direct you to the proper RAM for your machine.
Most people here will say that you can never have too much RAM. What kinds of tasks are you doing with your machine? If it's just iTunes, e-mail, Internet, and light word processing, you'll be okay with 1 GB total. But if you start doing thinks like heavy Photoshop work or video editing, you'll appreciate having a full 2 GB around.
Most people here will say that you can never have too much RAM. What kinds of tasks are you doing with your machine? If it's just iTunes, e-mail, Internet, and light word processing, you'll be okay with 1 GB total. But if you start doing thinks like heavy Photoshop work or video editing, you'll appreciate having a full 2 GB around.
You could get just a stick of 1gb and keep one of the 256mb for about $100 or you could spend double and get 2gb its up to how much you actually need to what you want
Mainly I just need to be able to keep Word, Excel, Safari, and my dashboard open without having it lag like it does. Just trying to modify spreadsheets is painfully slow with only 512 when I have all of that open. I thought you were supposed to have the same amount of RAM in each slot, or is that just for "optimal" performance? Would 1GB on one side and 1 256MB on the other perform better than 2 512MB sticks?
The speed benefit from matching the sticks is minimal at best...most users won't even notice in a real-world setting. Unmatched 1.25 GB (1 GB + 256 MB) will be better than matched 1 GB (2 x 512 MB).
dont buy it from apple, buy it 3rd party and do it yourself!! so easy to do and costs a whole lot less
i second the g.skill recomendation. cheap ram and so far so good (we'll see what everyone says a year from now hah but ive got it and no complaints at all)
i second the g.skill recomendation. cheap ram and so far so good (we'll see what everyone says a year from now hah but ive got it and no complaints at all)