Upgrading RAM for OS-X

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rhoqrhoq
Posted:
in macOS edited January 2014
I own an iMac G3/350 with 64 MB RAM.



I plan on upgrading my memory, so I can move on from 9.1 to OS-X.



I would like to know if I should just upgrade to 128 MB to meet the minimum OS-X memory requirements or should I go ahead and upgrade to 256 MB?



Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but hey - it's 3 AM and my brain fell asleep about 2 hours ago!!!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    I think you COULD be X´ed with 160 mb total but...

    You will be mch more satisfied with 288 mb and if you plan on using classic I wouldn´t even consider using anything less. Remember its not like you are using the most optimal computer for X so it would be most recommended to remove one speed stop factor.



    Do you plan on buying a new Mac soon? If you are perhaps it would be a good idea to wait for that before you go X and use the money you save from not upgrading your G3 for that.



    How large is your HD?
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  • Reply 2 of 13
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,065member
    [quote]Originally posted by Anders:

    <strong>I think you COULD be X´ed with 160 mb total but...

    You will be mch more satisfied with 288 mb and if you plan on using classic I wouldn´t even consider using anything less. Remember its not like you are using the most optimal computer for X so it would be most recommended to remove one speed stop factor.



    Do you plan on buying a new Mac soon? If you are perhaps it would be a good idea to wait for that before you go X and use the money you save from not upgrading your G3 for that.



    How large is your HD?</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Agreed. With that machine (as decent as it is in 9.x) you need the max RAM to run OS X. I have a Pismo 500MHZ 384MB and it still will slow down a little here and there....though it runs one hell of a lot better than on an iMac 500MHZ 128MB that I have at work. You will not be pleased with X on 128MB, trust me. It runs, but multi-tasking is hell.



    Go all the way on the RAM expansion. The prices are dirt cheap. Or, if a new Mac is in the works anytime, consider doing it now.



    [ 02-26-2002: Message edited by: SDW2001 ]</p>
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  • Reply 3 of 13
    odinn5odinn5 Posts: 107member
    My iMac 450 DV+ is maxed out with a full 1 gig of RAM. It allows OS X to run like a wild animal. It was cheap. I bought my RAM from Other World Computing and only spent about $100.00. Why not spend the cash and enjoy.
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  • Reply 4 of 13
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    [quote]Originally posted by Odinn5:

    <strong>...like a wild animal</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I agree. Technically speaking a turtle is a wild animal...



    But I stand by my advice: If there is a new Mac in the horisont for Rhoq he should focus on that instead of making his G3 ready for X. I base this on my experience with a 400Mhz 768 mb Pismo, a 400 mhz 768 mb iMac, a 600 mhz 320mb iBook2 and then a 800 mhz G4 PM. Between the first three and the last one is H-U-G-E
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  • Reply 5 of 13
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    I run OS X at work on a G3 266 when I need to boot into it. i have 384MB RAM. It's still not fun.
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  • Reply 6 of 13
    rhoqrhoq Posts: 190member
    Thanks for all of the advice. As we all know, you have to pay for QUALITY therefore Apple makes their computers a little on the expensive side. With that said, I have no immediate plans to purchase a new Mac (although I would love to have a sweet G4 tower and a flat screen monitor), it is just not financially possible for me at this time.



    I was at CompUSA yesterday and they want to charge $39.99 to upgrade to 128MB and $79.99 for 256MB. Which is highly affordable compared to the prices just a few years ago...



    As far as the size of my HD it is only 6 Gig, I am also thinking about getting an external HD - they too have come down in price are now pretty affordable. I recently saw an 80 gig external HD for $129...



    I can afford to upgrade my memory and add an extra device here and there, but $1,500 or so for a new Mac is just not possible right now.
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  • Reply 7 of 13
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    I also have a RAM question. I just bought a G4 400 mhz tower with 384 Mb RAM on ebay. I will mainly just go on AOL with it, and I'll buy a 3D shootemup game soon. Would it make a big difference to upgrade the RAM from 384Mb? That seems like a large enough amount but I've never used OSX before. Thanks...............................
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  • Reply 8 of 13
    mr.potatoheadmr.potatohead Posts: 99member
    384 MB is fairly generous for what you're doing. More RAM is always nice, but not always necessary. RAM prices are cheap, which would make a good argument for upgrading if you think you'll ever do more than AOL and the occasional game.
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  • Reply 9 of 13
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    [quote]Originally posted by Rhoq:

    <strong>Thanks for all of the advice. As we all know, you have to pay for QUALITY therefore Apple makes their computers a little on the expensive side. With that said, I have no immediate plans to purchase a new Mac (although I would love to have a sweet G4 tower and a flat screen monitor), it is just not financially possible for me at this time.



    I was at CompUSA yesterday and they want to charge $39.99 to upgrade to 128MB and $79.99 for 256MB. Which is highly affordable compared to the prices just a few years ago...



    As far as the size of my HD it is only 6 Gig, I am also thinking about getting an external HD - they too have come down in price are now pretty affordable. I recently saw an 80 gig external HD for $129...



    I can afford to upgrade my memory and add an extra device here and there, but $1,500 or so for a new Mac is just not possible right now.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    What about an internal HD and use that as the main. Then use the 6 GB one for swap files and documents (or other files you don´t use all the time).
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  • Reply 10 of 13
    grad studentgrad student Posts: 184member
    I just added 512 to my sawtooth G4 400, and the difference is like night and day. I almost can't comprehend how people use X with less than 512... I got 896 and STILL I page once in a long while.... more is definately better... all the way up to a GB...
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  • Reply 11 of 13
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    I'll see how it goes after I get it. Is there a best place to buy 512 Mb Ram cheap, but still reliable? Is PNY any good as a brand? what about internet sellers? Thanks again........................
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  • Reply 12 of 13
    steve666steve666 Posts: 2,600member
    I tried using Crucials memory selector and all it shows for the Powermac G4 is PC133. Doesn't the G4 400 mhz use PC100? I didn't see that option under G4................................................ ......
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  • Reply 13 of 13
    guitarblokeguitarbloke Posts: 125member
    <a href="http://www.crucial.com"; target="_blank">http://www.crucial.com</a>; are very good - I got a next-day delivery out of them



    I'd say 512 is a good bet for OS X - I run classic and Xdarwin a lot of the time, and I page very little eve with Pagemill, IE5, GIMP, iTunes, and Appleworks running together. Although the processor load stats aren't pretty on an iMac DV
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