My girlfriend just ordered a MBP with the stock 512 MB RAM. For basic usage (Safari, ichat, MS Office, itunes, etc.) do you think this will be okay? Should we consider upgrading the RAM?
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will 512 be enough?
- Thread starter ero87
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Yes. I would go with a 1gb upgrade as RAM prices for that are pretty good. And that you won't have to worry in the future about upgrading again (that is why 1gb would be better than a 512 upgrade).
ero87 said:
upgrade the ram yourself it'll be cheaper than apple $$
check here or here if your in US
here for the brit folk
http://www.crucial.comero87 said:
That site has a menu that will tell you exactly what you need. And they are a great source for more RAM.
A half-gig is plenty for most applications, including the ones you list. Upgrade to more RAM if you can afford it, but not only isn't it a necessity, keep in mind that a very substantial percentage of Mac problems are traced to bad RAM, so every upgrade is a bit of a risk.
Either way, remember to reboot the Mac every so often (once a week is a good minimum), to clear out the virtual memory swap files that will accumulate no matter how much physical RAM you've got installed. The swap files are the source of general system slow-downs, not a lack of RAM per se.
Either way, remember to reboot the Mac every so often (once a week is a good minimum), to clear out the virtual memory swap files that will accumulate no matter how much physical RAM you've got installed. The swap files are the source of general system slow-downs, not a lack of RAM per se.
512 RAM...No...
I don't think 512 is enough anymore. The performance boost from upgrading both my iBook and iMac G5 to a gig or more was awesome! I tend to have a lot of apps open and with 512 I saw the Beach Ball of Bordom too many times. If you tend to just have one or two apps open, you might be able to cut it with 512, but you won't be able to really make use of all your machines capabilities.
Just my 2¢ worth.
Coachingguy
I don't think 512 is enough anymore. The performance boost from upgrading both my iBook and iMac G5 to a gig or more was awesome! I tend to have a lot of apps open and with 512 I saw the Beach Ball of Bordom too many times. If you tend to just have one or two apps open, you might be able to cut it with 512, but you won't be able to really make use of all your machines capabilities.
Just my 2¢ worth.
Coachingguy
when the bottom ram slot in my rev. d powerbook failed and i was running on 512 mb i noticed a significant lack of perfomance. fortunately applecare took care of it for me and replaced the logic board. that said, i couldn't conceive of ever running with just 512. i think os x is best suited with at least 1 gb.
You'll be ok with 512, but as others have said, a bump up to 1gb will make your computing experience much better.
I know I'm a voice of dissenting opinion but
I still feel like each user should try using the machine as is for awhile before deciding up upgrade RAM.
I honestly think that some users don't need more RAM. I'm doing totally fine on my iBook w/ only 512MB. But on my iMac I have 1GB. Just let your girlfriend try using her MBP with 512MB for a bit.
I still feel like each user should try using the machine as is for awhile before deciding up upgrade RAM.
I honestly think that some users don't need more RAM. I'm doing totally fine on my iBook w/ only 512MB. But on my iMac I have 1GB. Just let your girlfriend try using her MBP with 512MB for a bit.
devilot said:
I'd agree that 512MB would be absolutely fine for most people if the machine is PowerPC or if its an Intel machine and only universal binary programs will be used. However, Rosetta eats RAM for breakfast so I'd recommend people to get 1GB on any Intel machines for the moment. Once Office is universal I'd say people like the user in question for this machine would be absolutely fine with 512MB.
Spanky Deluxe said:
I second that, apps running in Rosetta need more RAM. If you have already spent $2000 on a MBP, you should spend a few more bucks for an upgrade to 1 GB and you will get a machine with a much better price/performance ratio.
devilot said:
FWIW, I'm in your camp. I don't know about Rosetta's RAM appetite but I do know that the "you need as much RAM as you can afford" argument is a lot like saying "you can't be too rich or too thin." It does help to know how much performance you really need. I work every day on a much slower Mac than a MBP, and don't have any complaints about the performance.
The bottom line for me is, not everybody is a geek who needs or wants to squeeze every ounce of performance out of their computers. Some people people, you know, just, like, use them. Hard to believe, but true!
This is mine on a core duo mac mini:
my comp used to be ridiculously slow on 512mb, but after an upgrade to 2gb, things are smooth as butter. I think you should go for 1gb in that MacBook.
Rosetta does eat up memory for breakfast, indeedy.
And if you're in the US, use crucial to figure out what kind of RAM you need to get, then get it elsewhere. Newegg had the same exact crucial ram for $20 cheaper for me, and often there were cheaper (and still good quality) brands of ram (think half the price of crucial) that work, just check the reviews and make sure the ram works with your macbook.
Code:
PhysMem: 267M wired, 877M active, 858M inactive, 1.96G used, 26.2M free
VM: 17.8G + 153M 284352(0) pageins, 162215(0) pageoutsmy comp used to be ridiculously slow on 512mb, but after an upgrade to 2gb, things are smooth as butter. I think you should go for 1gb in that MacBook.
Rosetta does eat up memory for breakfast, indeedy.
And if you're in the US, use crucial to figure out what kind of RAM you need to get, then get it elsewhere. Newegg had the same exact crucial ram for $20 cheaper for me, and often there were cheaper (and still good quality) brands of ram (think half the price of crucial) that work, just check the reviews and make sure the ram works with your macbook.
I originally had 512 in my Powerbook 1.5 GHz and I was beachballing a lot. I ran the usual, Camino and iTunes always open, occassionally Eye TV or Photoshop. Nothing crazy, and never more than 4 apps at a time. Once I went to 1.25 GB ram I noticed a difference. But like suggested, I would use it for a while and then make your decision. That's what I did and while getting more ram wasn't necessary it certainly helped.
Yeah, I would do that and a few minutes later I would run into the same problem. Call me dumb but I would still recommend to buy as much ram as you could afford. I also take into account that in the future I may be running applications that will require a bit more ram than a normal user would need.IJ Reilly said: