RAM Upgrading: I need some advice

[morphineseason]

First off, I'd like to say that I just recently joined the world of Mac by becoming the proud owner of a 17" 1.83ghz Intel Core Duo iMac (this is my first Mac!). Although it's a little underpowered compared to the brand new machines that are out now, it has been more than adequate for everything I've thrown at it so far (even Creative Suite 2 applications). The only slight slowdown I've noticed is when I open a decent number of things and lots of tabs open on Firefox, and it's mainly on the dock animations or scrolling on websites while video is running (YouTube is a good example of this)

Anyways, I currently have 1gig of ram (2x512) and I'm considering maxing it out to 2gigs. My only concern is if it will really make a big difference. I mainly use my computer for design, and I really have no interest in gaming on it or anything (I have a 360 and Wii for that). I don't exactly have the cash to be throwing away at this point, but I'd still like to max it out eventually. Also, would I run into any problems if I bought a 1gig stick now, replaced one of the 512s, and then purchased another 1gig stick down the road? Or should I not upgrade at all?

Any help is appreciated! Thanks.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

It will make a difference and I recommend it. Especially if you're a designer. The easiest upgrade and easiest decision to make.

 

[Sweetfeld28]

I wold totally consider it. If it was me, I would just get a 1GB stick, and see if it works fine for you. I only have 1.5GB of memory in my tower, and i have never noticed any issues since i upgraded.

I would look at Newegg, MacSales, or Crucial.

 

[Father Jack]

More ram is always best

FJ

 

[morphineseason]

Thanks for the input guys. I guess my only other question would be if anyone has any experience with the ram on crucial.com? They seem to have the cheapest price, but is their ram reliable?

 

[Erendiox]

Thanks for the input guys. I guess my only other question would be if anyone has any experience with the ram on crucial.com? They seem to have the cheapest price, but is their ram reliable?

Absolutely. I've made 3 purchases from crucial, for two iBook G4s and one intel iMac. Fast, easy, and no problems whatsoever. Recommended

 

[Sweetfeld28]

Totally. Many people on these forums have bought from them.

 

[Father Jack]

Thanks for the input guys. I guess my only other question would be if anyone has any experience with the ram on crucial.com? They seem to have the cheapest price, but is their ram reliable?

I have 2 Gb of Apple supplied and fitted ram in my Mac Pro AND
4 Gb of Crucial ram I fitted myself.

Absolutely no problems. Buy Crucial with confidence.

FJ

 

[morphineseason]

Good deal. Thanks for the quick responses

 

[Lycanthrope]

I've read a lot here about 2GB of RAM in iMac's making a huge difference so I ordered a 1GB extra for ours today. Of course we're not in USA so I took the advice from another thread and ordered at Orcalogic.

Looking forward to it - some small comfort while I'm waiting to decide on the Mac Pro...

 

[Lycanthrope]

I've read a lot here about 2GB of RAM in iMac's making a huge difference so I ordered a 1GB extra for ours today. Of course we're not in USA so I took the advice from another thread and ordered at Orcalogic.

Looking forward to it - some small comfort while I'm waiting to decide on the Mac Pro...

Update on this - only after ordering did I discover that the weird memory setup on iMac G5's - only 1 slot free and 512MB non removable. So in that case a 1GB module isn't going to bring me much going from 1GB to 1.5GB

So, I contacted Orcalogic who did some investigation and came up with a 2GB module and I have changed my order for that - not ideal as 512MB existing RAM is removed and not reused but top marks to Orca for having top-notch customer service (my first experience with them too)

 

[MacBass]

More RAM is always better!

 

[brop52]

I just upgraded the RAM in my 500 MHz. slot loading iMac. I ordered a PC133 chip since that is all that crucial offers. They sent me a PC100 chip instead although it says PC133 on all documents except for on the chip itself and it is recognized as a PC133. I know this iMac does not take advantage of the PC133 speed but is there anything I should do about this since they did not send me what was advertised? I don't want to send it back but maybe there should be some price difference between the two chips?

Also, I replaced my original 128MB SDRAM that was in the slot. Anyone know a good place to recycle the chips? It's probably not worth the shipping costs to sell the thing so what to do with an old chip? I'm not sure if it has heavy metals in it so I don't want to keep it around.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

brop

Using a PC133 chip in a computer that utilizes PC100 is no big deal. It will work fine up to 100mHz which is limited by the computer. No need to fret. And if it's recognized as a PC133 chip then it is a PC133 chip. Who cares what it says on the chip.

As for the extra memory stick, just hang onto it. You never know when you might know someone who could use it.

 

[brop52]

brop

Using a PC133 chip in a computer that utilizes PC100 is no big deal. It will work fine up to 100mHz which is limited by the computer. No need to fret. And if it's recognized as a PC133 chip then it is a PC133 chip. Who cares what it says on the chip.

As for the extra memory stick, just hang onto it. You never know when you might know someone who could use it.

You missed my point. I already have a PC133 chip in my computer so I know it's fine. The problem is they misadvertised the PC100 chip they gave me as a PC133 chip. Hope that was more clear. I already know the PC133 is backwards compatible and that a PC133 isn't even taken advantage of on this iMac. The problem is I bought a PC133 and got a PC100.

 

[Jarcrew]

I upgraded my eMac's RAM from the stock 256 to 1GB yesterday - let me tell you something, the "bloop" a Mac makes when the RAM isn't installed properly is the sound of sheer, undiluted terror.

Turns out you've got to be firm as all hell when shoving the RAM into place, and I'm really feeling the benefits of that extra 768.

 

[UKingdom]

i also need some advice

i just bought a imac 20 inch with 1 gig of ram (2 512's) and i want to upgrade to 2 gigs.

the only way i can do this is to take out the 2 512s and either put in a 2 gig in one slot, or 2 1 gig sticks. i'm leaning towards the latter.

i was able to find crucial 2 gig ( 2 x 1 gig) for 129.99, that's certainly a lot cheaper than the 350 apple is asking for a 2 gig stick. is the performance going to be comparable? i think crucial is a reputable brand, no?

this is the link; it should work, right?

http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=5A5FD16EA5CA7304

i was considering selling the 2 512 stock sticks to offset the cost of new ram but having read the above i think it's a good idea to keep it just in case for applecare purposes. thoughts?

 

[fishoutofagua]

it is better to buy two 1 gig. since the core duo is basically two processors it splits the work between the two sticks of ram and the two processors. so the most effective and smooth way would be to purchase two 1 gig sticks.