Will more RAM make iMac scream?

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Well, okay not quite scream. But while my iMac Combo 700 w/256K RAM is fine, I'd like a little more zip.

How much more RAM would I need to make this baby fly? 128K more? or 256K?



thanks
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    [quote]Originally posted by satchmo:

    <strong>Well, okay not quite scream. But while my iMac Combo 700 w/256K RAM is fine, I'd like a little more zip.

    How much more RAM would I need to make this baby fly? 128K more? or 256K?



    thanks</strong><hr></blockquote>

    Under os X , 512 MB rock, 256 K are ugly

  • Reply 2 of 27
    sithsith Posts: 25member
    Can't say for sure, as I got my iMac with 512, but going to 512 on my pismo really made an improvement in the speed of OSX. I imagine it would do the same on your box...
  • Reply 3 of 27
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    Get as much RAM as you can.
  • Reply 4 of 27
    voxmanvoxman Posts: 34member
    Nope. My experience wth a G4 800 iMac w/ 512 ram is that it is still a dog.
  • Reply 5 of 27
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    [quote]Originally posted by popstar92:

    <strong>Nope. My experience wth a G4 800 iMac w/ 512 ram is that it is still a dog.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    A dog? I could understand it not being the fastest thing in the world, but it's really that slow?
  • Reply 6 of 27
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    OS X loves RAM. 512MB is good. More is better (although the speed improvements are less drastic after 512MB). Try to invest in at least decent-quality RAM - cheap RAM can be worse than none at all, slowing your system down, making it unstable, or (just about best case) failing to register with the system at all.



    1GB RAM on my 450MHz Cube performs quite nicely, thank you.



    [ 05-26-2002: Message edited by: Amorph ]</p>
  • Reply 7 of 27
    mac's girlmac's girl Posts: 556member
    [quote]Originally posted by satchmo:

    <strong>Well, okay not quite scream. But while my iMac Combo 700 w/256K RAM is fine, I'd like a little more zip.

    How much more RAM would I need to make this baby fly? 128K more? or 256K?



    thanks</strong><hr></blockquote>



    add another 512mb if you can afford to. at least then you wont need to throw it out in case you want to upgrade to the full 1GB someday.
  • Reply 8 of 27
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    Thanks for the advice. Am I correct that the RAM used are the same ones used for Powerbooks and iBooks?



    If so, that would be great. While more expensive now, it's handy when I move up to a 1 Ghz Powerbook in the fall
  • Reply 9 of 27
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    you are partly correct.



    the RAM you're supposed to change yourself is the normal sized ones you would find in a desktop.



    the RAM internally used is the laptop sized RAM.



    if you're going to take it apart and swap out the RAM inside, find and read the Apple manual first.



    normally i scoff at manuals, but in this case it is KEY!!. you can permanently **** your machine up if you do it wrong. you'll have to reapply thermal paste to the heat exchanger and make sure to tighten the screws really tight for it to work after you change the RAM. you'll understand better after finding a manual.



    seriously though, DO NOT CHANGE THE INTERNAL RAM WITHOUT READING THE MANUAL.
  • Reply 10 of 27
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    Yikes!

    Definitely not a do it yourself project.

    Thanks for that heads up, Alcimedes.
  • Reply 11 of 27
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    [quote] alcimedes

    you are partly correct.



    the RAM you're supposed to change yourself is the normal sized ones you would find in a desktop.



    the RAM internally used is the laptop sized RAM.



    <hr></blockquote>



    alcimedes is also partly correct...do not change the internal ram without the manual...the int

    ernal ram, the ram you would have to open up your machine and reapply thermal paste (and maybe thermal pads too), is full sized, cheaper ram...if you go this far into your new iMac without reappling thermal paste, you machine may quickly overheat and cause lots of kernal panics....the external ram that is easist to add to (in same spot as airport card) is so-dimm ram...it is more expensive, smaller and also used in powerbook and ibook....so far internal ram is cheaper, but harder to get to, semi-external ram (not really outside the machine, but just under the bottom cover plate) is easy to get to and change, but more expensive...



    i got my iMac 800 with 256 and added a so-dimm 512....my iMac runs very nicely with 768mb of ram



    see...



    and



    g
  • Reply 12 of 27
    thegeldingthegelding Posts: 3,230member
    go here

    <a href="http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.asp?Mfr+Productline=Apple+iMAC&amp;model =iMAC+%28G4-700%29&submit=Go" target="_blank">web page</a>



    got my ram from here (so did mac's girl)...free shipping, good ram....



    the 256 mb so-dimm is 91 bucks

    the 512 so dimm is 237 then take off 50 bucks with a 50 dollar rebate..

    so less than a hundred bucks gets you to 512mb

    and less than 200 gets you to 768mb...add this is easily added ram that you could also put in a TiBook later (unless they change the specs of the TiBook..which happens from time to time)....have fun...either would be great, but i always recommend going from the larger ram..g
  • Reply 13 of 27
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    The picture is getting clearer. Thanks for the info gelding.

    I'll probably just go up to 512K as I guess the performance can only get so much better without having a faster processor and cache.
  • Reply 14 of 27
    rogue27rogue27 Posts: 607member
    The iMac uses 100Mhz memory and the PB uses 133Mhz memory. I don't know how wise it would be to swap RAM between those machines unless you buy the faster speed for the iMac so you'll have the option of putting it in your PB later, but you probably wouldn't really end up doing that anyway.



    I usually go to <a href="http://www.macsales.com"; target="_blank">http://www.macsales.com</a>; because they actually tell you what machines the RAM will work with and have relatively good prices.
  • Reply 15 of 27
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    [quote]Originally posted by rogue27:

    <strong>The iMac uses 100Mhz memory and the PB uses 133Mhz memory.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    rouge27 is also partially correct. while the busses on the machine are correct... the iMac actually ships with 133MHz memory instead of 100MHz and most places you will buy mem from will give you the faster spec chip...
  • Reply 16 of 27
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    [quote]Originally posted by satchmo:

    <strong>The picture is getting clearer. Thanks for the info gelding.

    I'll probably just go up to 512K as I guess the performance can only get so much better without having a faster processor and cache.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Satchmo it is 512 MB not 512 K
  • Reply 17 of 27
    murbotmurbot Posts: 5,262member
    In fact, Apple recommends you use PC133 memory only in the new iMac. Possibly because of conflicts when using 100 with 133 in the same machine?



    I know some people mixing that don't have any problems though, so I'm not sure how much you'd have to worry... I'd grab 133 just to be safe anyway - then you've got more flexibility what machine you can use it in down the road.
  • Reply 18 of 27
    murbotmurbot Posts: 5,262member
    [quote]the RAM you're supposed to change yourself is the normal sized ones you would find in a desktop.



    the RAM internally used is the laptop sized RAM.<hr></blockquote>



    Are you sure about that? I could have sworn the internal slot took full sized RAM, and the outer one took a SO-DIMM (laptop RAM).



    EDIT - can't get the darn link to work, but I did just look at an Apple knowledge base document saying the user-accessible slot was a SO-DIMM.



    [ 05-27-2002: Message edited by: murbot ]</p>
  • Reply 19 of 27
    zadakzadak Posts: 50member
    [quote]Originally posted by alcimedes:

    [QB]you are partly correct.



    the RAM you're supposed to change yourself is the normal sized ones you would find in a desktop.

    <hr></blockquote>



    I dont know what you think is a normal desktop, but the memory in the iMac is NOT normal size.



    roger
  • Reply 20 of 27
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    there are 2 kinds of memory in the iMac LCD

    1 SO-DIMM (the smaller, laptop, more expensive kind) that are user instalable

    and 1 PC-133 DIMM this is a full sized regular desktop vareity that is cheaper, BUT you have to open the iMac fully to get at it... it is NOT easily replaceable and you should take it to an authorized service place to get mem upgraded in the internal slot...
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