How much RAM on an iBook?

[iMatt mini]

512, 768 or 1 GB for:
Using simple programs simultaneously(sp?) such as iChat, Mail, Safari, some word processing software, etc. Nothing big like Photoshop.

If I were to get photoshop in the future, will it run well with 512 RAM or is it easy to upgrade RAM?

Thanks,
Matt

[mjstew33]

512, 768 or 1 GB for:
Using simple programs simultaneously(sp?) such as iChat, Mail, Safari, some word processing software, etc. Nothing big like Photoshop.

If I were to get photoshop in the future, will it run well with 512 RAM or is it easy to upgrade RAM?

Thanks,
Matt
RAM is EXTREMELY EASY to install! like a 2 minute percedure ;)

I'd get another 512 stick since there is 512 soldered to the mobo, to equal 1GB with that you'll be able to do iChat, Mail, Safari, and Word/Pages very well, if that isn't overdoing it, but if you are going to be doing those + photoshop get a GB stick to equal 1.5GB RAM

Hope that helps :)

[iMatt mini]

Well I was hoping not to spend too much. Is it really easy to open up an iBook and put some RAM in?
I've opened up an IBM and it's easy but that has nice easy buttons to open up the case. ;)
What's required? Unscrewing stuff? :confused:
You don't think 512 is enough for the basic apps?
I doubt I'll be getting photoshop.
I could always upgrade later I suppose.

[mjstew33]

Well I was hoping not to spend too much. Is it really easy to open up an iBook and put some RAM in?
I've opened up an IBM and it's easy but that has nice easy buttons to open up the case. ;)
What's required? Unscrewing stuff? :confused:
You don't think 512 is enough for the basic apps?
I doubt I'll be getting photoshop.
I could always upgrade later I suppose.
Oh, well all you need is to pop up the keyboard.. VERY easy.. then unscrew four screws and pop it in..

512MB will do good.
Anything above really is overdoing it for what you are describing.
But the 1.5GB makes everything very snappy.
If you are unsure, get an extra 256MB to be sure. :)
Hope that helps :)

[iMatt mini]

I read somewhere that it only has one slot though...is that true? I was thinking about buying another 512 but that would be a waste if there's only one DIMM. ;)

[devilot]

I could always upgrade later I suppose.That would be my recommendation. Get your beauty of an iBook and use it for awhile. See if it feels ok or if indeed, it feels sluggish for your needs. Then think about getting more RAM. I'm glad that that was the way I went w/ my PB.

And I'm pretty sure that the new iBooks come w/ 512MB soldered and another empty RAM slot.

[joecool85]

I read somewhere that it only has one slot though...is that true? I was thinking about buying another 512 but that would be a waste if there's only one DIMM. ;)

It's true, one DIMM. But, there is 512 soldered on. So getting a 512 would put you at 1gb. My rev a PB has 640 ram in it and I can do Photoshop stuff just fine, even with my 867mhz G4. So I don't see why 512mb ram on a faster processor would be a problem. I mean, its not speed machine, but I've used it for some pretty heavy (100-200mb files) editing since it is part of my major at school. I would say get it with 512 and if later you need more, buy more. But like I said, you should be fine doing pretty much anything you've described with ease on 512mb.

[iMatt mini]

Well I have an HP Laptop right now, with 512 RAM and it works fine. And that's running Dreamweaver, Photoshop, ImageReady, Firefox, GAIM, Outlook Express and iTunes at the same time.
So I think I should be good. :cool:
Thanks for all the help everyone! :D

[mjstew33]

As i HAVE a new iBook and HAVE upgraded the RAM i can conform.. 512 is SOLDERED to the motherboard + an empty slot... ;)

[iMatt mini]

That's good to know, thanks!
I just don't understand one thing about Mac's. I have an HP laptop right now, with about 3.00 GHz Processor, so how do Mac's only go up to like 2.0 GHz on a PowerMac? I would think a PowerMac would be more like 4.0 GHz :rolleyes:
Is there like a conversion I don't know about or is it the same rate as a Windows based PC would have?
Basically, how does an iBook's 1.33 GHz compare to my laptop's 3.0 GHz, is it really less than half the speed?

[macbaseball]

That's good to know, thanks!
I just don't understand one thing about Mac's. I have an HP laptop right now, with about 3.00 GHz Processor, so how do Mac's only go up to like 2.0 GHz on a PowerMac? I would think a PowerMac would be more like 4.0 GHz :rolleyes:
Is there like a conversion I don't know about or is it the same rate as a Windows based PC would have?
Basically, how does an iBook's 1.33 GHz compare to my laptop's 3.0 GHz, is it really less than half the speed?

It's a different type of processor made by IBM. IBM can't make it faster, as it has heating issues once it gets into the higher speeds.

As for your situation, I wouldn't get a 512 chip. If you going to do Photoshop your going to want the 1.5 gigs of RAM, and if your not then you really don't need a gig. So if I were you I would buy a 256 chip, and if I got Photoshop, then I would get the 1 gig chip. Take into consideration, that if you buy the 512 chip, and want to upgrade soon after, then you have to get rid of the 512 chip. Your most likely going to lose money when you resell the RAM. If you got the 512 chip, you investment would be really small, yet it would be useful for the apps you use.

Personally, I like the third party vendor, datamem.com (http://www.datamem.com/viewcat.asp_Q_C_E_1176). Although they aren't the cheapest, they make really high quality RAM, and have excellent service.

[iMatt mini]

You guys have been so much help so I might as well ask all my questions here:
Is it worth it to upgrade the HD space or is 40 GB suitable?

[macbaseball]

You guys have been so much help so I might as well ask all my questions here:
Is it worth it to upgrade the HD space or is 40 GB suitable?

If you need a bigger hard drive, I would definitely do it through Apple. It is very difficult to upgrade the hard drives on an iBook, and it will void the warranty if they can tell you didn't take it to a Apple Certified Technician. Often times there are extra screws that don't go back into the right holes, which tips Apple off. Basically, if you want to do any type of internal video storage, or use Final Cut Pro, then I would upgrade to a larger drive. How much larger - it depends on what you plan to do.

[devilot]

You guys have been so much help so I might as well ask all my questions here:
Is it worth it to upgrade the HD space or is 40 GB suitable?
I think most people will ask whether or not you have an external HD and if not, then they'd either tell you to upgrade your HD or get an external one. Personally, I'm not tech savy so I would just pay to have a larger HD... but that's just me. :o

[mjstew33]

That's good to know, thanks!
I just don't understand one thing about Mac's. I have an HP laptop right now, with about 3.00 GHz Processor, so how do Mac's only go up to like 2.0 GHz on a PowerMac? I would think a PowerMac would be more like 4.0 GHz :rolleyes:
Is there like a conversion I don't know about or is it the same rate as a Windows based PC would have?
Basically, how does an iBook's 1.33 GHz compare to my laptop's 3.0 GHz, is it really less than half the speed?
One thing you have to understand about Macs: You can not compare the proccesors. AT ALL.

I mean, seriously, they are completly different in every way and form, ask anyone on this forum and they will agree with me.

Even though the Macs are not clocked as high as the Intels, doesn't mean they don't go as fast or faster ;)
PLUS
you have the Mac OS X Tiger -- Stable, fast os

I can't really explain it well, i'm just saying that the PowerPC proccesors are NOT comparable to the Intel/AMD procceors because they are COMLETLEY DIFFERENT, even the AMD and Intel processors are differnt, I'm just saying, you just can't compare them :)

Hope that helps! :)

[mjstew33]

I think most people will ask whether or not you have an external HD and if not, then they'd either tell you to upgrade your HD or get an external one. Personally, I'm not tech savy so I would just pay to have a larger HD... but that's just me. :o

Do know this... 14GB is taken off the HD right when you buy it, from Mac OS X Tiger + iLife + Languages (can be removed from Decoliazer (sp?) )

I'd get 60GB if I were you, I got 80GB on my 14"

Hope that helps :)

[iMatt mini]

That is exactly what I wanted to know. I was pretty sure they weren't the same because I wouldn't think Apple would cheap out on us like that. :D

Is it easy to take my iBook to a "Genius" and have them install a bigger harddrive without losing my stuff or should I just buy a bigger one now :p
If it's possible, how much do they charge for parts and labor?

[macbaseball]

That is exactly what I wanted to know. I was pretty sure they weren't the same because I wouldn't think Apple would cheap out on us like that. :D

Is it easy to take my iBook to a "Genius" and have them install a bigger harddrive without losing my stuff or should I just buy a bigger one now :p
If it's possible, how much do they charge for parts and labor?

Buy it now. It's a much better deal, put you don't have to deal with the hassle. It's just going to cost you more in the long run.

One thing you have to understand about Macs: You can not compare the proccesors. AT ALL.

I mean, seriously, they are completly different in every way and form, ask anyone on this forum and they will agree with me.

Even though the Macs are not clocked as high as the Intels, doesn't mean they don't go as fast or faster ;)
PLUS
you have the Mac OS X Tiger -- Stable, fast os

I can't really explain it well, i'm just saying that the PowerPC proccesors are NOT comparable to the Intel/AMD procceors because they are COMLETLEY DIFFERENT, even the AMD and Intel processors are differnt, I'm just saying, you just can't compare them :)


I would disagree with that. Apple thinks their processors are sub-par, as why would they switch to Intel if they didn't. Obviously, Apple believes that Intel makes better processors in the short term and the long term, otherwise why would they do the transition. You buy a Mac for the Operating System, not for the processor.

Is Tiger fast on the current processors - Yes

Is Tiger a lot faster on Intel Macs - Yes, according to the current developers it is.

[iMatt mini]

* • 512MB DDR333 SDRAM built-in
* • 60GB Ultra ATA drive
* • Keyboard & Mac OS X - U.S. English
* • 12-inch TFT XGA display
* • 1.33GHz PowerPC G4
* • ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 w/ 32MB DDR video memory
* • Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
* • AirPort Extreme built-in
* • Bluetooth 2.0 built-in

Image

Estimated Ship:
3-5 business days
Free Shipping
Subtotal $994.00

Any comments, suggestions?

[devilot]

Any comments, suggestions?
If you want to take advantage of the printer rebate and/or Student Union rebate, then you have to have the iPod and printer on that same "receipt."

[iMatt mini]

I have a printer and I have an iPod. Rebates=Hassle for stuff I don't need. So thanks, but no thanks. ;)

[iMatt mini]

Well my iBook doesn't seem to qualify for the iPod rebate:
The following computers qualify for this offer: all PowerBook models, all iMac models, all Power Mac models, and all iBook models excluding the 12-inch iBook CD.

[devilot]

Well my iBook doesn't seem to qualify for the iPod rebate:
The following computers qualify for this offer: all PowerBook models, all iMac models, all Power Mac models, and all iBook models excluding the 12-inch iBook CD.Yours does... the iBook CD refers to a now "extinct" model which is not even able to write CDs, you can only read CDs... your model is the 12" Combo drive and as such, would still qualify for the rebate if you wanted to go through w/ it.

[iMatt mini]

Oh, that's kind of misleading then. I wouldn't use it anyways and everyone except my mom has one, and she wouldn't use it. :)

[CubaTBird]

speaking as an ibook user... 768 is good enough for tiger/panther.. i never had any problems or slow downs and if i did it was b/c i was trying to batch file a song from garageband and chat with someone on ichat so that was my fault... but yeah 768 i think is the "norm" now in the mac community

[Chundles]

Any comments, suggestions?

Looks like a good deal, go for it.

As for the processor question there is one thing you have to understand that most manufacturers have been keeping from you: GHz is not a measure of speed!! It is a measure of cycles per second that the chip can perform, the speed of the chip depends on how many calculations per cycle it can handle. Macs, whilst clocked slower, achieve far more calculations per second than a P4 at a higher GHz rating. Pentium M's are a different beast all together.

The fastest chip Intel makes is a 1.6GHz Itanium chip - spooky eh? especially compared to the 3.8GHz monsters getting around. I can tell you that the 1.2GHz G4 in my iBook smashes my parents' 2.4GHz Celeron on the PC at their place, it really makes it feel like working through glue.

Basically when you order, upgrade the HDD as far as you can go before you hit your budget limit, there isn't much else to upgrade on an iBook barring RAM which can be done easily and cheaply via a third party vendor (see the umpteen threads about RAM vendors on these forums) This allows you a good deal of breathing room and is cheaper in the long run than buying a new HDD and getting them to install it ($$CHA-CHING!!$$)

Try out your iBook at 512RAM (same as what I have and for the stuff I do it's is just fine - word processing, web browsing, MSNing, iChat, iTunes, just generally basic stuff, iPhoto, a bit of GarageBanding it's all good. But then, when talking about RAM more is good, even more is better) and then decide if you want to spend the money on more RAM. The 512MB is built in which I was surprised to see at first (it allows for more RAM than the base PowerBook!) so if you do go up, an extra 512 will proviide a very handy performance boost.

Enjoy your iBook, ask as many questions as you want on here, there are always people willing to answer but as usual, make sure you search before you ask.

[macbaseball]

Oh, that's kind of misleading then. I wouldn't use it anyways and everyone except my mom has one, and she wouldn't use it. :)

You could sell it on eBay, and then get a gig of RAM or money towards Photoshop.

[iMatt mini]

You could sell it on eBay, and then get a gig of RAM or money towards Photoshop.
Not a bad idea, but I think rebates are a hassle and never seem to get them in on time. :rolleyes:

Does buying 3rd party RAM and installing it yourself void the warranty and such?
If so, how much do those geniuses charge for installing some?

[mjstew33]

Ok, really, I know someone (aka Sam I Am on the forums) and he just got a iBook and have never seen the inside of a computer, I mean NEVER.

He got it in there in 5 minutes :)

TRUST ME you do NOT need to worry about it being to hard!!

Does not void warranty what so ever. BUT the warranty does not cover the 3rd party RAM.

Hope that helps :)

[ITASOR]

Heh, it's fine with the 512MB. I use the apps the OP posted about all at one time along with iTunes, photoshop, imageready, and the Macromedia MX apps and I don't notice anything slow. Seriously thinking about selling the 256MB and 512MB Ram chips I have laying around!

[iMatt mini]

Just curious, does the Apple Logo light up like the PowerBook? :)

[devilot]

Just curious, does the Apple Logo light up like the PowerBook? :)
yup. you betcha.

[gijze]

One thing you have to understand about Macs: You can not compare the proccesors. AT ALL.

I mean, seriously, they are completly different in every way and form, ask anyone on this forum and they will agree with me.

Even though the Macs are not clocked as high as the Intels, doesn't mean they don't go as fast or faster ;)
PLUS
you have the Mac OS X Tiger -- Stable, fast os

I can't really explain it well, i'm just saying that the PowerPC proccesors are NOT comparable to the Intel/AMD procceors because they are COMLETLEY DIFFERENT, even the AMD and Intel processors are differnt, I'm just saying, you just can't compare them :)

Hope that helps! :)

... http://www.systemshootouts.org/processors.html ... ;-)

[Tahko]

Don't know if you have wasted money already, but 512 is fine.. OSX's multi-threading is superb, even when compared to various linuxes I've used. i just took a slight test, and found out following:
When finder, dashboard, mail, safari, adress book, itunes, ical, neoOffice/j, adium, textedit, roxio toast and terminal are running simultaneously I get no slowdown in any of the programs. that surprised even me, since I tend to quit programs permamently since most of the time i'm doing some heavy "work" with this. ie. recording on garageband or playing games.

[AJ Muni]

Just curious, does the Apple Logo light up like the PowerBook? :)

hey imatt have u ever seen an ibook/pb in person?? lol jk... ;) ...i would say go for the 1gb cuz youll kick urself in the head, later when u would have to another stick to upgrade. i went from 256 to 1.2 and i love it. as in installing your ram, or replacing your HD (im realllllllly thinking of doing it also) go here and check this out -->http://www.pbfixit.com/Guide/83.0.0.html