640MB of Ram enough?

[iBunny]

I still am debating on my mac purchase as some of you know. however I am waiting until i see the updates comming tomarrow. my question is, I was looking at iBook or Powerbook and was wondering. The iBook max ram is 640MB... is that enough?
In my windows PC, I have 1GB of ram and love it. Best purchase I ever did... but thats running windows...

I am not sure how OSX handles memory... and if it is enough to ensure a smooth fast computer expirance...

thanks

 

[Capt Underpants]

I don't own an iBook, but yes, I would say that 640 MB is enough. If, for some reason, it isn't enough for you, there are upgrades for 1GB of RAM. However, it is not supported by Apple and costs alot of $$$.

 

[Grimace]

for basic and moderate tasks, 640MB will be plenty. If you have crazybig apps/files - 640 will be fine, but may be a little slow.

 

[Capt Underpants]

1 GB iBook SO-DIMM . There's a link to crucial's site with a 1 Gb SO-DIMM. It's $425, which is the difference between an iBook and a powerbook.

 

[iBunny]

1 GB iBook SO-DIMM . There's a link to crucial's site with a 1 Gb SO-DIMM. It's $425, which is the difference between an iBook and a powerbook.

wow... thanks man, thats what I sorta was looking for.... But will it work for sure in the iBooks?

 

[Capt Underpants]

wow... thanks man, thats what I sorta was looking for.... But will it work for sure in the iBooks?

Yes, it will work. Make sure that you scroll down to the bottom of the page and buy the SO-DIMM. Someone on these boards accidentally bought the regular old DIMM, lol.

 

[Horrortaxi]

I never had a problem with my G3 iBook on 256MB. I've got 640 now and I really don't notice a difference unless I've got a lot of things open at once--and even then it's slight. So at the very worst you can "get by" with 640.

 

[iBunny]

well with what i will be doing... maybe you all can decide what i need and what i dont...

I will have at all times have... iTunes open, Multiple instances of Internet, chat, MS word and encourage....

then whatever program i will decide to be working on such as excel for File Maker pro 7.0.... or soundtrack... or even the iChat thing witht the video

 

[Westside guy]

The iBook max ram is 640MB... is that enough?

Well, according to no less an authority than Bill Gates: "640KB ought to be enough for anybody".

Oh, wait, you said MEGAbytes... nevermind.

 

[jemeinc]

640 will be fine for what you're planning on doing- all at the same time...

 

[Grimace]

seriously, for what you want to do, there is NO reason to buy a super expensive 1GB stick. Even that would give you 1GB plus whatever is preloaded in the other slot - maybe 1.25GB - that is ridiculous for your needs. Pop in another 512MB at most and you'll be fine.

 

[baby duck monge]

i am running an 800 mhz ibook g3 with 640mb, and it run just wonderfully. if you think the computer is up to the tasks you want to throw at it, 640 should be plenty for ya.

 

[couchcommander]

..But will it work for sure in the iBooks?

Actually, no.
At least Crucial Europe told me it won't. They said iit will fit, but then only 512MB will be recognized. They even gave me the exact technical reason, if I remember correctly it was somehting about the RAMs density per chip, I will look it up when I have access to my home computer again(which will be about Tue.)

I usually work all day with Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Xpress, Flash etc..., and there is a speed bump compared to 640MB noticed when e.g. opening large tiffs (20MB+) or having all of the above mentioned apps running at once.
HOWEVER 640 will be ABSOLUTELY sufficient for normal tasks, so think about what you will actually be doing before spending the money.

best,
Phil

 

[Capt Underpants]

Actually, no.

I've heard that people have had success putting a gig in an iBook G4. That being said, if the 1 GB stick doesn't work, he can return it to crucial....

 

[janey]

in a matter of weeks i went from 128mb to 256mb to 384mb in my iBook G3, running 10.3.3. Its just getting better and better. But still slow.
Let me just say that imho neither 128mb nor 256mb should be the OS X minimum (128 is bare minimum, 256 is recommended minimum), 512 should be :\

If I were you i'd get the 1 gig stick, because I still think 384mb sucks. I'm looking for cheap deals on 512mb/1gb sticks for my iBook now

 

[Grimace]

If I were you i'd get the 1 gig stick, because I still think 384mb sucks. I'm looking for cheap deals on 512mb/1gb sticks for my iBook now

The price difference between 512 and 1GB is still an awful lot. If it were roughly twice the price of 512, that would be one thing. As before with whatever is preloaded - adding 1GB is serious overkill for most users. If a 512 is added to 128 - that will run extremely well.

 

[keysersoze]

The price difference between 512 and 1GB is still an awful lot. If it were roughly twice the price of 512, that would be one thing. As before with whatever is preloaded - adding 1GB is serious overkill for most users. If a 512 is added to 128 - that will run extremely well.

Other World Computing has a 1GB stick for $350. I've bought all of my RAM from them... it's all worked well save one, and they quickly and painlessly replaced that one bad stick. That 1GB stick is here:

http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Item.cfm?ID=6114&Item=OWC2100DDRSO1GB

 

[kirk26]

You might be able to open Safari and browse the internet.

 

[baby duck monge]

You might be able to open Safari and browse the internet.

is that really all? funny, because on my machine (with 640mb) i constantly leave open about 8 apps (including safari, word, and photoshop) and very rarely run into noticeable slowdowns.

if you're going to be negative, at least be more informative/constructive.

 

[MacRAND]

512mb RAM for G3 iBook is fine

i am running an 800 mhz ibook g3 with 640mb, and it run just wonderfully. if you think the computer is up to the tasks you want to throw at it, 640 should be plenty for ya.

I agree with baby duck monge
The 512mb I bought from Fry's and installed myself for 640 total made a serious difference when I replaced the 128mb chip they gave me free when I bought my 700MHz iBook. Do it.

I have also replaced the 4200 rpm 30GB hd with an Hitachi/IBM Travelstar 7200 rpm 60 GB and it rocks!
While you can easily install RAM yourself,
get a pro to replace the HD if you decide to do it, too many things can (and did for me) go wrong.