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THEROC

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 20, 2008
51
0
Hi guys, as the title goes, I have an old iMac and I am wanting to add more RAM. The computer itself still works great and can't afford a new one so best is to get some more RAM that hasn't been done.
On the original box it says it has 1GB of RAM and it supports 4GB, however on the 'About' section, it tells me I have 4GB already. Is that information correct? When I bought this all those years ago I never requested an increase of RAM. Anyway, I was reading up the other day and came across a site that showed me how to find out how many slots I had free to upgrade for more ram but have since lost that site. Can someone assist me with finding out this info.
My system specs are:
iMac8,1
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac8,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB


Thank you.
 

THEROC

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 20, 2008
51
0
Your iMac supports up to 6GB of RAM. It has 2 RAM slots. It appears your original 1GB has been increased to 4GB.

Wow!!! That was quick and much appreciated. I have tried that site you linked me with and really was overwhelmed cause I didn't know where to look. A little chaotic if you're not there often I guess.
While I have your attention, can you either tell me or give me a link on to what type of RAM should I be looking for?
Cheers!
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,541
942
Wow!!! That was quick and much appreciated. I have tried that site you linked me with and really was overwhelmed cause I didn't know where to look. A little chaotic if you're not there often I guess.
While I have your attention, can you either tell me or give me a link on to what type of RAM should I be looking for?
Cheers!
The very first paragraph on that page gives you exactly what type of RAM fits your Mac.
(800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, PC2-6400)
You can find specs on all Apple products, including maximum RAM:
 

THEROC

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 20, 2008
51
0
The very first paragraph on that page gives you exactly what type of RAM fits your Mac.

You can find specs on all Apple products, including maximum RAM:

Thank you

----------

Just seeing that RAM at this place-Crucial- comes in 1GB or 2GB. How do I get 6GB in 2 slots? Does RAM ever come in 3GB or 4GB blocks?
 

THEROC

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 20, 2008
51
0
Yes, RAM does come in 4GB modules. You can either install 1x2GB and 1x4GB, or you can install 2x4GB (8GB), of which your iMac will only use 6GB.

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ct2kit51264ac800

OK thanks for that. I believe I have all the info. I see that at this place Crucial ,their available RAM is only in 1 or 2 GB but I have emailed them so hopefully they'll get back to me soon
Thanks
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,541
942
OK thanks for that. I believe I have all the info. I see that at this place Crucial ,their available RAM is only in 1 or 2 GB but I have emailed them so hopefully they'll get back to me soon
Thanks
The link in my last post is to the 4GB modules from Crucial. They do have them.
 

THEROC

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 20, 2008
51
0
Hi GGJ
I contacted Crucial about extra RAM and after providing them with all specs, including serial numbers, they advised me that their information and through contacting Apple, my system can only support 4GB. They said that 'MAYBE'...My system has 2GB of 'on-board' memory...I'm assuming that means memory on the motherboard? So this on-board memory takes up 2Gb plus another 'module' of 2 GB on the slots...? And maybe there is room for another module. Well that's what I think they mean. Could this be correct? Perhaps I should take a look inside and see what's in there? Cheers!
 
Last edited:

thedeske

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2013
963
58
Hi GGJ
I contacted Crucial about extra RAM and after providing them with all specs, including serial numbers, they advised me that their information and through contacting Apple, my system can only support 4GB. They said that 'MAYBE'...My system has 2GB of 'on-board' memory...I'm assuming that means memory on the motherboard? So this on-board memory takes up 2Gb plus another 'module' of 2 GB on the slots...? And maybe there is room for another module. Well that's what I think they mean. Could this be correct? Perhaps I should take a look inside and see what's in there? Cheers!

They're reading from Apple spec, which says 4 - Agree with GGJ, it's actually 6 (2plus4)

If you have a pair of 2s (likely), just pull one of the 2s and add a 4. Easy enough to find out with a small phillips screwdriver.

Good Luck
 

GGJstudios

macrumors Westmere
May 16, 2008
44,541
942
Hi GGJ
I contacted Crucial about extra RAM and after providing them with all specs, including serial numbers, they advised me that their information and through contacting Apple, my system can only support 4GB. They said that 'MAYBE'...My system has 2GB of 'on-board' memory...I'm assuming that means memory on the motherboard? So this on-board memory takes up 2Gb plus another 'module' of 2 GB on the slots...? And maybe there is room for another module. Well that's what I think they mean. Could this be correct? Perhaps I should take a look inside and see what's in there? Cheers!
No, they're not correct. Your system will use 6GB of RAM, which can be installed with a 2GB module and a 4GB module, or as two 4GB modules. In the latter case, you'll be installing 8GB, but your Mac will only use 6GB of it. See the specs on EveryMac.com.
 

THEROC

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 20, 2008
51
0
OK I will follow through with extra 2 GB of RAM. Thanks people!
 
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