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the new imac g5 with isight
- Thread starter 4leaf
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No its not true there is a free memory bank for you to slot memory in, so the extra 512mb you plan on getting will be just fine, and yes the iMac G5 is user servicable,
SHadow
SHadow
4leaf said:the new imacs come with 512 ram and i want to be able to get an extra 512 stick when i can afford it after i buy it...i read on a site you cant upgrade the ram after purchase?is this true?
The new iMac has a single user accessable slot for RAM upgrades. It also has a single non-accessable slot that you cannot upgrade.
The 512Mb appears to be supplied as a single stick leaving the user accessable slot free for upgrades so no worries there.
Does anyone know if the non-accessible stick of RAM is soldered in, or just in an inaccessible location? Given that the memory controller on the accessible RAM slot is capable of handling a 2GB DDR2 stick, I would assume the same holds true for the built-in 512MB slot, also assuming that the built-in slot uses the same memory controller. If these conditions are true, then I wonder how hackable the form factor is to replace the built-in stick with larger DDR2 RAM? Wouldn't it be fun to have an iMac with 4GB of RAM...
Hmmm only 1 accessible RAM slot in the Rev C...
Does that mean then that the benefit of matching RAM no longer holds true?
I have a Rev B and actually I have 1.5GB (mismatched) RAM, but i still have the option to remove the original 512 and swap it for another 1GB stick.
For the people wanting to know more about RAM for their rev C (iSight) iMacs, here are links to the relevant Apple support docs:
memory specifications
how to install RAM
Does that mean then that the benefit of matching RAM no longer holds true?
I have a Rev B and actually I have 1.5GB (mismatched) RAM, but i still have the option to remove the original 512 and swap it for another 1GB stick.
For the people wanting to know more about RAM for their rev C (iSight) iMacs, here are links to the relevant Apple support docs:
memory specifications
how to install RAM
That's pretty bad... only 1 extra slot. I can't believe Apple made the default 512 non-removable.
FoxyKaye said:
I've asked the same question a couple of times since I upgraded my iMac iSight and noticed that the built-in module doesn't appear to be soldered in.
It's not accessible via the same memory panel though - so I'm guessing you'd have to take the unit apart to get to it - not sure how that effects warranty etc - even though the RevA's and B's were user-accessible - the iSight model doesn't appear to be easily user-accessible.
I'm sure someone will have a go at it at some point!
Interesting - according to Apple, the built-in 512MB is "built in to the logic board... and can't be removed and can't be replaced." It's just interesting how they've phrased this, since on other models with built-in RAM, Apple has always said that it was soldered to the MoBo. It's almost like "don't look at that man behind the curtain." We'll see for sure in a few years I suppose when someone gets bored and decides to hack and mod away... It's like the 2GB DDR sticks in the Rev. B - will they work? Apple says no, but Apple has always understated maximum RAM and they're too damn expensive to just buy and try it out.dietcokevanilla said:
Incidentally, I have the same memory config as you, dietcokevanilla and am planning to add a second stick of matching RAM from Crucial at some point as well, probably when Leopard is released...
It's probably a system similar to the iMac G4, which had a "user installable" slot and a "apple installable" slot. Both were swappable by the user, but the user installable was in a little panel, the other you had to open the dome itself. I think it also voided the warranty. Still, some sites had instructions on how to do it.
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp?Mfr%2BProductline=Apple%2BiMac&mfr=Apple&tabid=AM&model=iMac+%28G5-2.1GHz%2C+20-inch%29+DDR2&submit=Go
Doesnt iMac have maximum RAM it can support? A quote from Crucial RAM:
"And since your Apple iMac (G5-2.1GHz, 20-inch) DDR2 supports up to 2560MB "....
Doesnt iMac have maximum RAM it can support? A quote from Crucial RAM:
"And since your Apple iMac (G5-2.1GHz, 20-inch) DDR2 supports up to 2560MB "....
It's only limited by the RAM slots at this point. The debate is whether there is a second, hidden slot, that contains the base 512MB of memory (for a theoretical maximum of 4096 MB or 4GB of RAM), or if that 512 is soldered onto the motherboard, for maximum of 2560MB or 2.5GB of RAM.