Advice: Imac 2.0 or 2.4, 1GB or 2GB memory

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
I am about to purchase the Imac with Leopard. I have a few questions.



My typical usage will be word processing, internet (including video files), online banking, and creating an occasional slide show project and video processing from a DV camera to DVD. I may also run bootcamp but I'd like to avoid that if possible.



I believe my usage is pretty basic and a 2.0 processor will be adequate. I'm not sure whether there will be a noticeable speed difference on running apps or boot speed. Will there be much difference with the extra stick of memory? Is the better video card worth the difference for my usage? I probably don't need the larger hard drive since I am currently running a PC with 120 gb.



Is it worth the extra money for the faster 2.4 processor assuming I keep the Imac for at least 3 years before my next upgrade? I usually don't buy the "entry level" product and instead look for the sweet spot.



Thanks for the suggestions.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    I would (and did) go with the 20" 2.4, and I got a 2 gig Ram from www.otherworldcomputing.com for the same price as Apple charges for 1 gig upgrade. That will set you for 5 years, because when/if you ever need more Ram you will only have to replace the 1st 1 gig with a 2 gig to max it out at 4, you won't have to replace both sticks later. Since the monitor is built-in, I think it's worth the extra cost for the faster machine up front. You'd have to rebuy the monitor too if you want it faster later. I have always been a PC person but I like my 2.4 iMac a lot. I also have the 24" 2.8 but the jury is still out on whether or not I like it better when you take into account the cost. The thorn in the 24" monitor is that they don't have the 1600 resolution choice like you do on the 20", which means you either have stuff blown up too big at 1400 or you have it shrunk too small at 1900. If they allowed some intermediate resolutions on the 24" I'd be able to say that I like it better than the 20".
  • Reply 2 of 15
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    2GB....
  • Reply 3 of 15
    bg_nycbg_nyc Posts: 189member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fixmdude View Post


    I would (and did) go with the 20" 2.4, and I got a 2 gig Ram from www.otherworldcomputing.com for the same price as Apple charges for 1 gig upgrade. That will set you for 5 years, because when/if you ever need more Ram you will only have to replace the 1st 1 gig with a 2 gig to max it out at 4 *snip*



    You can put in 4, but the imac will only address a max of 3. The other ram will be left unused by the system. Get 1GB and buy an additional 2 GB from OWC and you'll be done.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    shanmugamshanmugam Posts: 1,200member
    paired RAM are better for performance? no?
  • Reply 5 of 15
    Try getting paired 1.5 GB sticks, and you might have a difficullt time. 1x 1GB and 1x 2GB is how Apple maxes out the system when they do it.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bg_nyc View Post


    You can put in 4, but the imac will only address a max of 3. The other ram will be left unused by the system. Get 1GB and buy an additional 2 GB from OWC and you'll be done.



    When I go to 'About This Mac' on the new aluminum iMac it says:



    "4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM"



    Are you thinking about the old white iMacs that stopped at 3GB?

    Or if you run Bootcamp with WindowsXP Home Edition then it will stop at 3GB in there too.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    bg_nycbg_nyc Posts: 189member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fixmdude View Post


    When I go to 'About This Mac' on the new aluminum iMac it says:



    "4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM"



    Are you thinking about the old white iMacs that stopped at 3GB?

    Or if you run Bootcamp with WindowsXP Home Edition then it will stop at 3GB in there too.



    There is a document on apple support that explains that the 2006 iMac will only address up to 3GB. But another user pointed out this on the iMac tech specs.



    This may mean that they have changed the system and it will now address all 4 GB. But I am still not sure about that, and could not find any support docs on the website to confirm. But it seems that i may be incorrect.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    Can't you just buy a 2GB DIMM of some other company's memory to add on to the existing 1GB DIMM the iMac comes with?
  • Reply 9 of 15
    bg_nycbg_nyc Posts: 189member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Fletch View Post


    Can't you just buy a 2GB DIMM of some other company's memory to add on to the existing 1GB DIMM the iMac comes with?



    SO-DIMM. Yes, as suggested earlier.
  • Reply 10 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by bg_nyc View Post


    There is a document on apple support that explains that the 2006 iMac will only address up to 3GB. But another user pointed out this on the iMac tech specs.



    This may mean that they have changed the system and it will now address all 4 GB. But I am still not sure about that, and could not find any support docs on the website to confirm. But it seems that i may be incorrect.



    If you were referring to the "2006 iMac", then you were right, that one only handled 3 GB. It's just the 2007 aluminum iMac that now handles 4 GB.
  • Reply 11 of 15
    mrtotesmrtotes Posts: 760member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by fixmdude View Post


    When I go to 'About This Mac' on the new aluminum iMac it says:



    "4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM"



    Are you thinking about the old white iMacs that stopped at 3GB?

    Or if you run Bootcamp with WindowsXP Home Edition then it will stop at 3GB in there too.



    Yes the White iMac Core 2 Duo's chipset limited the addressable RAM to just over 3GB. The chipsets have changed.



    Bassesq,



    I've just ordered an iMac 2.8GHz and opted for a single 1GB SODIMM. I intend to purchase a 2GB SODIMM myself in the near future and replace the 1GB with another 2GB further down the line. Apple's RAM prices are silly. Always go for the lowest and install more yourself.



    http://www.ramseeker.com/memory/iMac-2gb/



    Go for the better graphics card; you can't change it later.



    Hard disk will disappear soon enough but can easily be expanded externally, again RAM is cheaper to upgrade later and dead-easy to do yourself.
  • Reply 12 of 15
    Video editing takes a whole lot of memory. Plus Ram is cheap if you buy it from a 3rd party vendor. You can purchase 4 gig for around 170 dollars. Hell, you just spent 1900 at a minimum for the computer. Apple would charge you 800.



    I've been building computers for years, from scratch. A good place to purchase ram is from OWC. They even have an installation video to watch. Very simple task....my honest recommendation is to purchase (2) 2 Gig modules and install them yourself.



    http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/installation.cfm



    This is what you want to purchase:



    OWC 4GB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz DIMM Upgrade Kit



    Product Specifications



    Size: 4096MB (4GB) (2x 2GB Modules)

    200-pin DIMMs

    Data Rate = 667MHz

    CAS: 5.0

    Low Noise 8-Layer PCB

    Exceeds Apple/Intel Specifications

    Fully complaint with JEDEC specifications

    Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty



    You can even trade in your old memory and get 15 dollars back. Get rid of it.....you'll most likely never use it again. I've been stuck with old ram for years.....everything becomes worthless over time, when it come to electronics.



    Good Luck!



    Changing the Hard disk is a little more complicated but can easily be done. I've just ordered my first iMac 24, 2.4 gig and the very next thing I did was order memory from OWC. The only upgrade I purchased was the wireless Keyboard. Everything else I will do myself. It's really just a good old regular PC, with a minor modification. But with a much better Operating System and beautiful layout.



    David
  • Reply 13 of 15
    sequitursequitur Posts: 1,910member
    What does the "5300" mean in '4GB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz DIMM'?



    Can a larger number than the 5300 be substituted for the 5300 as suggested by an AI member in another thread?



    I had assumed that it was just a nomenclature/name. Please set me straight.



    BTW, there are 3 or 4 other threads under Current Hardware on the subject of what RAM to use. Is there any way to concatenate them? Never mind! I just like to use the word "concatenate". Back in the olden days, using DOS, you could put files together (concatenation). I don't know if that is possible with GUI files or not. Anyone??
  • Reply 14 of 15
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aa6rv View Post


    Video editing takes a whole lot of memory. Plus Ram is cheap if you buy it from a 3rd party vendor. You can purchase 4 gig for around 170 dollars. Hell, you just spent 1900 at a minimum for the computer. Apple would charge you 800.



    I've been building computers for years, from scratch. A good place to purchase ram is from OWC. They even have an installation video to watch. Very simple task....my honest recommendation is to purchase (2) 2 Gig modules and install them yourself.



    http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/installation.cfm



    This is what you want to purchase:



    OWC 4GB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz DIMM Upgrade Kit



    Product Specifications



    Size: 4096MB (4GB) (2x 2GB Modules)

    200-pin DIMMs

    Data Rate = 667MHz

    CAS: 5.0

    Low Noise 8-Layer PCB

    Exceeds Apple/Intel Specifications

    Fully complaint with JEDEC specifications

    Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty



    You can even trade in your old memory and get 15 dollars back. Get rid of it.....you'll most likely never use it again. I've been stuck with old ram for years.....everything becomes worthless over time, when it come to electronics.



    Good Luck!



    Changing the Hard disk is a little more complicated but can easily be done. I've just ordered my first iMac 24, 2.4 gig and the very next thing I did was order memory from OWC. The only upgrade I purchased was the wireless Keyboard. Everything else I will do myself. It's really just a good old regular PC, with a minor modification. But with a much better Operating System and beautiful layout.



    David





    Damn that 4GB kit is tempting......how is the performance of OWC memory as opposed to the perfomance of Crucial, Micron, Kingston, etc.?
  • Reply 15 of 15
    My 2GB stick from OWC for 87.99 arrived on Friday and is now resting peacefully inside my Imac. Thanks for the advice. So I have 3GB of Ram which should be more than adequate for my needs.
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