How much of a difference does more RAM really make?

dferigmu

I have a 15-inch 1.5 GHz Aluminum PowerBook G4 with 512 MB of SDRAM. My question is; sometimes I like to have 5+ applications open at the same time. Is it worth it to buy an additional 512 of RAM? How much will it speed things up?



Also, I need to send my Powerbook in to Apple to get something repaired. Will they install an additional 512 of RAM or do I have to buy and do that separately? I know Apple RAM isn’t cheap, but I’d like to keep it under my Applecare warranty.

imac600mhz

upgrading to 1gb from 512mb you should see a performance boost of about 10-15% depending on what your doing.

mrtotes

Quote:

Originally Posted by dferigmu


I have a 15-inch 1.5 GHz Aluminum PowerBook G4 with 512 MB of SDRAM. My question is; sometimes I like to have 5+ applications open at the same time. Is it worth it to buy an additional 512 of RAM? How much will it speed things up?



Also, I need to send my Powerbook in to Apple to get something repaired. Will they install an additional 512 of RAM or do I have to buy and do that separately? I know Apple RAM isn?t cheap, but I?d like to keep it under my Applecare warranty.

I'd say you'd notice a difference if you install another 512Mb. A quick way of making an assessment would be to open Activity Monitor (Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilites > Activity Monitor) from there you can see Virtual and Physical memory usage by each process running on the PB.



Don't buy Apple RAM - you're throwing money away but also don't buy the very cheapest. Apple often supply Samsung RAM which is widely available. Go to a Mac Friendly supplier and buy there. RAM Seeker allows you to compare prices.



RAM is a user-installable part (On a TiBook you didn't even need a screw drive!) so won't void your warranty.

placebo

Think of RAM as extra hands. If you're tying your shoes, maybe you only need the two you've got. But if you're painting a picture, writing an essay, and doing long division, you might want some extras.

lundy

Look in Activity Monitor's "System Memory" tab and see how many pageouts you have while running those 5 apps for a significant period of time. If you have a lot of pageouts, you could probably get a speed boost from more RAM.

keot

I recently upgraded my 1.67GHz PowerBook's RAM from 512MiB to 2GiB. It doesn't make the machine faster, but it makes everything a lot more smooth.

The dashboard is now useable. You can hit F12 and it appears instantly, rather than the 2-5 second wait I experienced previously. No delays, pauses or spinning beachballs in Firefox, Thunderbird or iTunes. No lag with Exposé when running intensive applications.

I'd say it makes enough difference to make it worth the money.

londor

What you mainly gain with more RAM is responsiveness. I would get a 1GB stick for a total of 1.5GB and be done with it.

kishan

Quote:

Originally Posted by dferigmu


I have a 15-inch 1.5 GHz Aluminum PowerBook G4 with 512 MB of SDRAM. My question is; sometimes I like to have 5+ applications open at the same time. Is it worth it to buy an additional 512 of RAM? How much will it speed things up?



Also, I need to send my Powerbook in to Apple to get something repaired. Will they install an additional 512 of RAM or do I have to buy and do that separately? I know Apple RAM isn?t cheap, but I?d like to keep it under my Applecare warranty.

Upgrading your RAM will be one of the best investments you can make in your Mac. I have a 1.42 GHz G4 that I upgraded to 1GB of RAM and it runs sooooooo much more smoothly. Serious... one of the best and cheapest ways to make your Mac run better.