2GB vs 4GB RAM on White Macbook

More RAM means that less data has to be written to the hard drive which is million times slower than RAM is. 2x2GB of RAM is like 70 bucks so I wouldn't hesitate, it's definitely worth it.

Tom8 said:

So am i right in thinking this would allow the programs to load faster, and the OS to be a bit faster?

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Well, the load times can be faster but since they are loaded from the HD, the difference shouldn't be dramatic. However, if you have opened and quit an app, it will load faster as some of its data may still be in the RAM and loading it from the RAM is much faster.

It makes your system feel overall snappier as there will be less page outs.

Tom8 said:

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Would 2GB be enough to run SL and likely Lion with ease and still be a stable system?

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My sister has MacBook with 2GB and it runs fine. However, I can notice the difference when I come from an iMac with 4GB. IMO 4GB is worth it and only costs around 70 bucks as I said above.

Can't talk about Lion but more RAM is ALWAYS better.

I was actually going to create a thread for this.

My question is:

I play TF2 on my macbook(2gb of ram) and I purchased 2x2gb sticks the other day and was wondering if it would increase my fps on tf2? I currently get 20-30 and large slowdown when I first load into a game and the first big battle. Is the extra 2 gigs going to make a different on TF2? I currently have my setting on the reccomended setting minus AA.

2 GB is fine for web browsing, movies, iTunes, word processing and so forth. You won't notice any difference there.

You'll run into trouble when you start running virtual machines or attempting to multitask with memory intensive apps (e.g. Photoshop).

My suggestion would be to start out with the basic 2 GB and see how that works for you. If it doesn't, an upgrade is just $70 away.

hamlin said:

I was actually going to create a thread for this.

My question is:

I play TF2 on my macbook(2gb of ram) and I purchased 2x2gb sticks the other day and was wondering if it would increase my fps on tf2? I currently get 20-30 and large slowdown when I first load into a game and the first big battle. Is the extra 2 gigs going to make a different on TF2? I currently have my setting on the reccomended setting minus AA.

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2 GB should be adequate for TF2 (in Windows, at least). RAM may well be a part of it (certainly it's a part of your loading times), but it's more likely that your slowdowns are due to the fact that the Source engine games aren't well optimized for OSX yet (or, rather, that OSX isn't well optimized for 3D gaming yet--Valve claims that the 10.6.4 has numerous issues with graphics drivers, and I'm inclined to believe them). Keep in mind that when Half-Life 2 was originally released, most machines (even those built for gaming) had less than a gigabyte of RAM.

If you already have the RAM, though, you might as well go ahead and install it. Why ask us when the answer is right in front of you? If you're concerned about being able to return the RAM after opening it (though you might as well keep it and install it--it'll definitely help in some areas), another option is to try running TF2 under boot camp before you install the new RAM.

Tom8 said:

Any idea how Lion will perform on 2GB RAM, I know its still too early to really tell?

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If you know it's too early to tell, why are you asking? As you said, it's too early to tell, there's no way to predict it.

@hamlin: This is how I see it... more RAM certainly can't hurt your frame rate in TF2.

2GB will more than likely be enough to get OS X lion on there. though it might not be good enough to run it on.

Personally, I would go ahead and upgrade the RAM because I find the extra RAM useful (and I have the same uses as you) but don't get me wrong, 2GB will be more than enough. You can, whenever Lion comes out, upgrade your RAM if 1) if 2GB isn't supported or 2) its too slow for your taste.

Basically, just keep the 2GB RAM and see how it works. If its slow for you, then just upgrade it. Whenever lion comes out, you can just upgrade your ram from there (provided you havent already done so)

Also, have you considered the Macbook Pro 13"? It comes with 4GB ram standard.

Tom8 said:

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I'm in the U.K and a student, so to for me to get a MacBook Pro would cost me $1500 (I'm guessing you're from the U.S). That's £400 more than the exchange rate prices the Pro at. So I can't really afford a Pro. I partly blame Apple for it's U.K premium pricing, but our VAT system makes it difficult for Apple.

Thanks for the advice. I think I might go for 4GB RAM straight away, since I intend to have the MacBook for a pretty long period of time 3-5 years, so maxing RAM would go towards 'Future-Proofing' it.

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I watched an installation video on macsales.com and they stated the mid 2010 macbook can actually handle 8 gigs of ram. Apple just states it can go to only 4 gigs.