dwd3885 said:
That goes in Mac/PC and Intel/PPC worlds. RAM is king. Upgrade it, use it, live it.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
To be honest... (Intel iMac vs. Power Mac)
- Thread starter dwd3885
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That goes in Mac/PC and Intel/PPC worlds. RAM is king. Upgrade it, use it, live it.
Whats the argument with ram? If you are buying a new iMac how in the heck can you not afford to opt for the 1gig of ram upgrade for 90 dollars? On mine I upgraded the 512 to a 1gig stick then got my other 1gig stick from Ramjet.
If people want to complain that photoshop is running slow on 512 megs of ram and rosetta compared to there dual g5 that's hillarious. I'm so tired of this bickering, when photoshop & all the pro apps are convereted to universal there will be nothing to discuss these iMacs are going to win hands down.
But please keep comparing the iMacs with 512 ram running photoshop in rosetta against your dual g5 with 2gigs of ram!
If people want to complain that photoshop is running slow on 512 megs of ram and rosetta compared to there dual g5 that's hillarious. I'm so tired of this bickering, when photoshop & all the pro apps are convereted to universal there will be nothing to discuss these iMacs are going to win hands down.
But please keep comparing the iMacs with 512 ram running photoshop in rosetta against your dual g5 with 2gigs of ram!
dwd3885 said:
FYI most windows OEM's default amount of RAM is 512MB just like Apple's. Honestly though 512 is perfectly fine as long as you remember to close out your apps when you are done with them to free up that RAM. AFAIK OS X itself takes up somewhere from 128MB-256MB. Right there you've eaten a good portion of your RAM and while you can get by with the remaining +/- 256MB; as I said before Rosetta is supposedly very RAM intensive.
topgunn said:
No I'm not considering budget PCs, I'm considering PCs comparable to the Dual Core iMac or PowerMacs. You ALWAYS get 1gig. You should not have to buy more RAM for a perfectly new computer to get it to function properly. That is utter crap
I have no doubt that it would run better with 2gigs of RAM than 512. I should sure hope so! But making a purchase on a brand new computer shouldn't lead to buying more ram immediately. RAM is something you buy on an older computer to speed it up. Newer computers like the iMac should be good to go "right out of the box."
Stop talking crao
I just looked at dells website. Most of their computers come as standard with 512mb, many with 256, so stop talking crap.
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/pro...0m?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=specstab#tabtop
"256 MB DDR SDRAM standard, upgradable to 2 GB maximum
2 SoDIMM sockets, both are user-accessible"
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/pro...00?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=specstab#tabtop
"512 MB of DDR2 dual-channel SDRAM standard, upgradable to 2 GB maximum"
The new imac runs perfectly in it's cheapest config (512mb). I know, I'm using an intel imac with 512.
Simplly, if you have a specific needs like running photoshop under rosetta then you'll need to spend a hundred dollars more and get a gig. So what? Big deal.
dwd3885 said:
I just looked at dells website. Most of their computers come as standard with 512mb, many with 256, so stop talking crap.
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/pro...0m?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=specstab#tabtop
"256 MB DDR SDRAM standard, upgradable to 2 GB maximum
2 SoDIMM sockets, both are user-accessible"
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/pro...00?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~tab=specstab#tabtop
"512 MB of DDR2 dual-channel SDRAM standard, upgradable to 2 GB maximum"
The new imac runs perfectly in it's cheapest config (512mb). I know, I'm using an intel imac with 512.
Simplly, if you have a specific needs like running photoshop under rosetta then you'll need to spend a hundred dollars more and get a gig. So what? Big deal.
dwd3885 said:
It seems like you either don't know much about computers or you have a real hard-on against the Core Duo.
Here's a similarly-equipped Dell machine:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DXPS400F1&s=dhs#logicerror
$1059. 17" screen, STOCK 512 RAM, ATI X16 card, 160 GB harddrive...
And it comes with a Pentium D. A Pentium D that I wouldn't touch if given the option of a Core Duo in its place.
And that's not even bringing up the nice form factor in the Mac...
So for an additional $250, you get a better chip with the iMac and a vastly superior form factor... I'll take it.
I have to say.. I got my INTEL iMac last friday (20th) and I installed the adobe photoshop tryout for mac and it runs much smoother on this mac this is does my hp amd64 3200+, 15.4" HD with 768mb ram laptop. I ended up getting a INTEL iMac with 2gigs of ram and 256mb vram. The extra memory might be helping on the mac but its not even supported with intel macs so this is a BIG PLUS on my end. I can restart this intel mac almost 3 times before my windows box even loads up once from a restart. I'm a first time mac user as of the 20th. Last time I used a mac was back in middel school around the time the new color emacs or imacs came out whatever they were called. I'm currently 20 years old going on 21 and I have to say I have been missing alot. I should have gotten a g5 a year ago rather then this intel now 
I'm very happy with my switch and once everything is supported on the intel macs I will be closing my windows world up. My major issue with mac is gaming. I'm really into HL2 counter-strike. I can always get down with another first person shooter tho so sorry valve I don't think I can wait 4 months for cod2 tho
I'm very happy with my switch and once everything is supported on the intel macs I will be closing my windows world up. My major issue with mac is gaming. I'm really into HL2 counter-strike. I can always get down with another first person shooter tho so sorry valve I don't think I can wait 4 months for cod2 tho rocketpig said:
Why do we have to compare everything to Dell??
I agree with the OP, it would be nice if Apple gave us more RAM right from the beginning, because yes, it obviously does give a big improvement. And especially now, during the transition, where RAM is very important due to a memory-hungry Rosetta, it would be nice to not have to worry about such an issue.And another thing: Just because people have enough money to buy an iMac, does not make $90 cheap. I bought the iMac with pretty much all the money I have as a student. I'll have to save up for that extra RAM.
the new intel imacs are fast but b/c most users will have to use rosetta, they will think the systems are slow. any emulator sacrifices firepower, and rosetta is no exception. wait until intel os x native software comes out and run the identical software on your old powermac. the G5s are good for whats out there in the macworld now, but in a year they wont be looking too hot
RAM is more expensive from the computer manufacturers than self installed RAM. I'd rather get a $1300 computer with only 512 than get a $1400 computer with 1GB. I can install my own friggin cheap RAM.dwd3885 said:
shrimpdesign said:
And that sums it all up, thank you shrimpdesign. If you don't do your research before you make a purchase, you cannot blame anyone but youself. I think it is common knowledge that 512MB is pretty standard minimum stock RAM accross the board (yes higher end PC systems have more stock, so does Apple). There is a reason Apple offers RAM as a BTO option, as well as Hard Drive, etc. Are you going to blame Apple that you filled your Hard Drive with a few iMovie Projects, and now you don't have anymore room? Will an iMac boot and run a couple Applications at once, sure thing, that's where Apple's job stops and your begins.
BTW if you click "learn more" on the BTO page of your order you will see this as the VERY FIRST SENTENCE, "The more memory your computer has, the more programs you can run simultaneously, and the better performance you get from your computer."
I've said it before, there is no cure for ignorance.
dwd3885 said:
Did the iMac work the minute you booted it up? Is the interface fast, can you use all the iApps? If yes, than the iMac is good to go "right out of the box." The machine works better with more RAM, just like any other CPU, this is not a flaw, but a realistic way of looking at the market. Furthermore, since your last machine was a Powermac G5, I would suggest that your minimum standard is placed rather high, considering I get ridiculous amounts of work done on a .55ghz TiBook.
jamesi said:
Most users will use the iApps, Safari, and Word. These apps will kick ass on these machines.
Pro-users should know better, and should either buy a G5 or wait until the other apps are ported directly to Universal Binaries. The G5 will continue to be a powerful and useful chip for the next couple of years. The G4, however, is like the G3 was, doomed and ready for EOL.