memory upgrade questions...

melissarae · May 3, 2008, 08:27 AM

i'm looking to upgrade my memory in my iMac. it currently has 1gb (two 512 cards), but supports 4gb and would like to upgrade to that. we also have a black macbook which has 2gb (two 1gb cards).

a fellow mac user that i work with suggested this website: www.macsales.com to purchase memory.

would it make sense to purchase the 4gb kit (that comes with two 2gb cards) and take out one of the 1gb cards from the macbook and replace with a new 2gb card (giving it a total of 3gb) and putting the 1gb card from the macbook into the iMac with one of the new 2gb cards giving it a total of 3 gb? could this even be possible? or am i just wishful thinking? is it worth it? or should i just do the 4gb upgrade for the iMac and leave the macbook as is for now?

haha sorry if i've confused anyone.

thanks in advance for your help!

bdj33ranch · May 3, 2008, 10:18 AM

You don't mention which iMac you have - but if it is an intel mac you can do what you propose (1X1Gb + 1X2Gb in each). Reports say there is a small performance advantage, in most tested areas, by having 'matched' modules. But that small performance advantage is almost always outweighed by having more memory. i.e. your overall performance, in most uses, will be better with 2.5Gb unmatched memory than with 2Gb of matched.
However, I found that my late 2006 MacBook was VERY particular about its memory modules - while my 2007 aluminum iMac didn't seem to care. I was able to achieve rock-solid stable operation with unmatched modules on both computers. But what I finally ended up doing was 2X2Gb (Crucial) modules in my iMac and 2X1Gb (Hynix) modules in my MacBook.

CanadaRAM · May 3, 2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melissarae

i'm looking to upgrade my memory in my iMac.

Hi melissarae, welcome to MR

Answers to these and many other commonly asked questions can be found under the Guides tab at the top of this window

Guides: Hardware: Understanding Intel Mac RAM
Guides: Hardware: Buying RAM

Or do a Search on the forums.

May 3, 2008, 08:27 AM	#1
melissarae macrumors regular Join Date: May 2008 Location: tampa, florida	memory upgrade questions... i'm looking to upgrade my memory in my iMac. it currently has 1gb (two 512 cards), but supports 4gb and would like to upgrade to that. we also have a black macbook which has 2gb (two 1gb cards). a fellow mac user that i work with suggested this website: www.macsales.com to purchase memory. would it make sense to purchase the 4gb kit (that comes with two 2gb cards) and take out one of the 1gb cards from the macbook and replace with a new 2gb card (giving it a total of 3gb) and putting the 1gb card from the macbook into the iMac with one of the new 2gb cards giving it a total of 3 gb? could this even be possible? or am i just wishful thinking? is it worth it? or should i just do the 4gb upgrade for the iMac and leave the macbook as is for now? haha sorry if i've confused anyone. thanks in advance for your help! __________________ iMac MBA iPhone 4
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May 3, 2008, 10:18 AM	#2
bdj33ranch macrumors regular Join Date: Apr 2005	You don't mention which iMac you have - but if it is an intel mac you can do what you propose (1X1Gb + 1X2Gb in each). Reports say there is a small performance advantage, in most tested areas, by having 'matched' modules. But that small performance advantage is almost always outweighed by having more memory. i.e. your overall performance, in most uses, will be better with 2.5Gb unmatched memory than with 2Gb of matched. However, I found that my late 2006 MacBook was VERY particular about its memory modules - while my 2007 aluminum iMac didn't seem to care. I was able to achieve rock-solid stable operation with unmatched modules on both computers. But what I finally ended up doing was 2X2Gb (Crucial) modules in my iMac and 2X1Gb (Hynix) modules in my MacBook.
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