Question about RAM

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Hey, I just have a question about macs in general. I'm taking a computer graphics class in school right now and we use a mac lab. It's the OS 9 with the old iMacs, but Apple dropped off a PowerMac G5 for my teacher to play with until the whole lab upgrades to them next year. (and I'm a senior, so I'm mad. lol.) But anyways, I've become hooked on them and will be going to CompUSA later today to test some of them out. So, back to my question: Is 256mb of RAM good for a mac? I know for a PC it's slow, but I'm not sure about the macs. When I do buy one, though, I'll probably get a iBook or a PB.



Thanks in advance!



EDIT: Shoot, wrong forum. Sorry

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    I had a granny for a neighbor a year ago at an apartment complex (it was great - she was stone deaf and I could blast rock music late into the night, hastening the day when I will be stone deaf). She had a cute little iMac that she used to email her grandchildren, and they all thought it was the coolest thing in the world that their granny was so computer savvy. Well it helped that I could help her maintain her computer, but it didn't really need much, being OS X and all. She was sharp as a tack and picked up on OS X faster than many coworkers of mine half her age. Yet despite her fine intellect, she was content to use her computer for email. She ran Mail, and sometimes Preview or a media player to view attachments. She used the finder adroitly to manage her files. She was a real hoot.



    This granny had 256 MB of RAM on her iMac, and it was perfect for her needs. For anyone who drives their Mac harder than my granny neighbor, at least 512 MB is needed, and 1 GB is called for if one does extensive video editing or Photoshop work and likes to multitask.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    zenatekzenatek Posts: 203member
    If you do any kind of graphics work you need 1GB or higher. My wife does some on her mac mini with 512mb but she says it does limit her.



    1GB or higher... Mac OSX loves memory. When I upgraded my iMac from 256Mb to 1Gb I was just shocked at the difference in performance.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    jayhighjayhigh Posts: 40member
    Thanks for the info. I probably wouldn't dont much, if any, graphics work. I'm more of a programmer, but I'd end up doing some. All I do (on a daily bases) is use the net, e-mail, im, and experiment with programming languages. However, I do multi-task a lot, so 512 will probably be my best bet. Thanks again for your help.
  • Reply 4 of 5
    zenatekzenatek Posts: 203member
    512MB is fine for standard usage
  • Reply 5 of 5
    I think you have your answer so Im going to lock this now....



    but for the record, dont bother with anything less than 512Mb just in case you want to do some stuff with multiple apps like listen to a song in iTunes and importing some piccies into iPhoto while typing an email to your dear Aunt Betsie from East Putney.
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