2gb vs 4gb in new aluminum macbook 2.4

[SuperSnake2012]

I consider myself a power user and I've been using mine for a few days with 2GB and it's been fine, rarely get a beachball on this computer... it just flies. I figure I will max out the RAM in the future, but I'll probably wait until prices are much lower. I don't think I need 4GB at the moment.

 

[Skeletal-dæmon]

thanks you just saved me 200
plus i also think it is better to wait incase the macbook can take 8gb, so in the future when 8 gb is cheap, i would feel more inclined to upgrade from 2gb to 8gb than 4gb to 8gb

Current Unibody MacBook and 15" MacBook Pro firmware only supports up to 6GB RAM before becoming unstable. Only the 17" MacBook Pro appears able to handle 8GB. Thought I'd slip that in there in case that changes your mind about the 4GB.

 

[taylorwilsdon]

I ordered my MacBook with standard 2gb thinking I wouldn't need 4gb since I planned to use it primarily for browsing etc and my iMac for work. I've started to really notice the difference and regret not ordering 4gb. Planning to upgrade very soon.

And how do you know this is the difference, and not the faster processor, 7200rpm desktop class hard drive or better video card? Unless your activity monitor shows a significant number of page ins and page outs, the RAM has nothing to do with your perceived difference.

Current Unibody MacBook and 15" MacBook Pro firmware only supports up to 6GB RAM before becoming unstable. Only the 17" MacBook Pro appears able to handle 8GB. Thought I'd slip that in there in case that changes your mind about the 4GB.

I have 8GB RAM and I would argue that there are very, very few real world applications that dictate that much. I only bought it because it was so cheap, and very fast stuff.

 

[Jeremy81]

And how do you know this is the difference, and not the faster processor, 7200rpm desktop class hard drive or better video card? Unless your activity monitor shows a significant number of page ins and page outs, the RAM has nothing to do with your perceived difference.

I have a lot of page ins/outs, occasional beachball(esp on graphics intensive websites), and no free memory. It often seems like I need to close programs and restart more frequently than I normally would. Obviously, I don't expect it to be anywhere near as fast as an iMac(which it isn't).

 

[nope7308]

Okay my closest apple store is 2 hours away,
all the local resellers wont give me a student discount
so i will be ordering my macbook from the apple store
what position does this put me in for the return policy

It's the same return policy. Essentially, if you require a repair/return/exchange, then Apple will give you shipping labels and you send the machine back via the mail. Keep in mind that if you buy the machine through the Apple Online Store, then you can only do returns/exchanges via the mail - the online store and retail store maintain different inventory counts.

In your case, this simply means that a BTO return is no longer an issue (you will have to go through Apple Online regardless). So, if you want 4GB, you might as well order it now (or install it yourself to save a bit of $).

 

[neiltc13]

Is it really worth getting for what I'm gonna do
mainly web surfing and word
occasionally gaming and flash cs3

also im worried about the no refund policy of the bto macs

You don't need 4GB RAM. You won't come close to using 2GB RAM on any of those tasks, so why bother paying money for something you don't use?

 

[munckee]

Anyone have input on the best prices for a 4GB upgrade? OWC has 2x2 for $85. Crucial was at $103 when I check a few minutes ago. Newegg ranges from $95-115. Any others?