Need Some Assistance - Extra RAM/VRAM Worth It?

[mtschirret]

Hi All:

I'm getting ready to purchase my first iMac (20"), and am wondering if the 2GB RAM upgrade and ATI Radeon x1600 256MB VRAM upgrades are worth it. I'm not a hardcore user, but will play FPS' on occasion, and like them to run smoothly and at above-average graphics settings.

Since I'm stuck with the ATI card rather than the superior nVidia 7600, should I spend the extra money on these? I don't do a lot of video editing, etc.; just an average iTunes, gaming, word processing, Internet-surfing user.

Any help would be appreciated...Thank you!

Best Regards,

Michael Tschirret

[mac-convert]

You'll find that the more memory the better. I would suggest the 2GB upgrade above all else that you do. I bought my mac-mini with the standard 512MB and quickly found that the upgrade was in the near future. After I got the 2GB installed, it's a real pleasure to use.

[Westside guy]

I think 1GB will certainly be a noticeable improvement over 512MB. 2GB will, day to day, likely not improve things significantly with most of your programs - but if you can afford it, it'll be worthwhile longer-term.

I can't speak directly to the VRAM question since I'm not a gamer. A lot of gamers seem to think that more is always better - but I did see a fairly convincing discussion at one point (sorry, forget where) that demonstrated even 128MB was probably not being all used by many FPS games. However, again - if you think you'll hang on to this machine for a while, then the 256MB card will likely perform better for you in the long run.