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hey there, just wanted to know... How much ram is enough for osx?

S

sevag1

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 16, 2001
72
0
I currently have 512... i had 640.. but the 128 that came with my comptuer was conflicting with my 512 ram ... so... is 512 MB ram enough in osx? how much do you guys have??


-sev



p.s. i just converted to OSX from os9, and boy do i love it.. just wish the games would run as smooth as they did in os 9 :)
 
re: RAM

one thing I've learned about OS X is...it loves RAM!!!

512 is fine...I'm sure it would run even smoother with more...but I doubt u will notice the difference with the extra 128...

I have 384...it runs well...but I just know it could run better with a replacement of my 128 with a 512...he he he :p
 
768MB - but I know it wants more! Damn it for only having 3 slots! I've got another 128 (Apple Memory at that!) wating in the wings...
 
I got 576megs of ram(2x 256 1x 64) and the G4 is only 400 Mhz. But it runs pretty fast, and that is good enough since I don't do much processor intensive junk.
 
Re: hey there, just wanted to know... How much ram is enough for osx?

Originally posted by sevag1
I currently have 512 ... so... is 512 MB ram enough in osx? how much do you guys have??
Click to expand...

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

How much is enough RAM for OS X?

Grasshopper, there can be no calculating the RAM OS X can consume just as there can never be a large enough iPod.:D

The answer is: Always more than you have.

I have 1024Mb.........If OS X apps could be set the way 9 apps could it'd be a whole lot simpler. As it is there can never be enough RAM.
 
My TiBook has a full GB of RAM, and it hums along nicely. My previous tower had 1.5GB of RAM, and even though it was a G4 500MHz (single, AGP graphics model) it moved right along as well. I think 1GB should be enough for most things, with more being better :D. There are a few things in life you can almost never have (or get) enough of... RAM, hard drive space, money, and sex , and not necessarily in that order. :D
 
I have 1024MB of RAM in my PowerMac as well. And OS X runs perfectly fast and smooth.

I would say for an absolute minimum, get 256MB, that is, if you are not willing to go about the rising prices of RAM :) Your best bet is half a gig.

Now since the Powerbook G4 512MB RAM chips are ridiculously overpriced, you might want to try and find an excellent deal on those chips.

Now, this may shock a few people, but I had OS X 10.1 up and running on a 233MHz iMac with only 64MB of RAM! I could do just about anything (very slowly), except load OS 9 and connect to the internet.

Again, get a half gig, if you can.
_______________

Any time is a great time for iPod.
 
i'm using osx on a tibook w/ 384 MB. For most things it runs just fine, but open up more than 3 apps at a time and you'll probably notice a slowdown.

As has been said, time and time again, X can never have enough ram. It'll take all you can throw at it, and then come back for more.
 
I have to think there is a law of diminishing returns with ram for a given set of consumer applications. That is to say doubling your ram from 128 to 256 will have more of an impact than going from 1024 to 1152. Having said that, more is better, but i would like to see a graphical representation of a measureable performance paramter as a function of ram. I bet the performace would approach a limit at some point.
 
512MB

You need atleast 512MB if you want to run pretty smooth. I have 768MB (1X256MB and 1X512MB).
I mean, my dad has a powerbook g3 500 pismo with 384MB of ram, running OS X. We stuck a 512MB chip in there, and...vuala! It runs wayyyy faster. And, the answer to your question....

The more the better!
 
Originally posted by King Cobra
Now, this may shock a few people, but I had OS X 10.1 up and running on a 233MHz iMac with only 64MB of RAM! I could do just about anything (very slowly), except load OS 9 and connect to the internet.

Again, get a half gig, if you can.
Click to expand...

I'm not surprised about the iMac running OS X with only 64MB. I put the public beta on a tangerine iBook and it ran with only 96MB pretty well. I think I was able to use classic, but in only a limited fashion.

OS X is a strong enough OS that it can run on almost any of the supported systems, but to get the best performance from it, you need the newer ones. I would venture to say that any G4 processor with 512MB+ of RAM would perform pretty well. Add more memory and the performance will go up. Go to a faster chip and, well, you get the idea. :D

Personally, I haven't used OS X on any G3 other then that iBook, so I don't know how well it performs on them. I would venture to say that it would be acceptable for most people, with the power users wanting more. But then again, we always do :D
 
I've got 640mb on an iMac 600 (G3) and the performance difference between it and the original 128mb is huge! Yeah..but I would recommend 512 at least.
 
128MB: It will run. It will swap. You will curse.

256MB: Kind of the entry level for comfortable usage. Don't try Virtual PC.

512MB: Threshhold beyond which you don't really have to be too concerned.

Beyond 512 it comes down to "how much can you afford?" You will probably continue to see benefits from more RAM all the way up until you max out the system. UNIX systems are like that.
 
okie, gonna get another 512 mb chip this coming weekend.. :) thatll total out to 1024 mb ram.. :) yay
 
I've got 384MBs...

...on a beige G3 233 and I occasionally have something like this:

Bryce 5 rendering a scene in the background
3 pages loading in IE on a cable modem
talking to two people on AIM
two terminal logins
mail
system prefs

It slows down some, but still does a pretty decent job. Every time I've checked since I went from 128 to 384 I've had 0 pageouts. Obviously I'd like a G5, but my G3 does a pretty damn good job considering it's ~4 years old.
 
Re: Re: well damn...

Originally posted by Hemingray


Don't feel bad, you still have the most posts! :D
Click to expand...

Yeah, until his GF takes the computer away from him for a while... like THAT would ever happen. :D At least he has one... *grumble*
 
Re: Re: Re: well damn...

Originally posted by AlphaTech


Yeah, until his GF takes the computer away from him for a while... like THAT would ever happen. :D At least he has one... *grumble*
Click to expand...

Hahahah, that is pretty funny. I believe she has a PeeCee. Sooo...Eye...I think we need you to "pursuade" her into a new mac! C'mon buddy, lets get back to 5% of the market!
 
That's going to be a rough relationship... she will probably try to control/alt/delete him a somepoint to try and wake him up... :D or to get him to do something via the task manager... ouch

I am a firm believer that EVERY house should have at LEAST one Mac in it. I am doing my part... although I do have the peecee too... for recreational purposes only, except when my TiBook is at Apple :(.. I hope they ship it back tomorrow, so that I have it for Wednesday. I miss the little space heater :D.
 
Originally posted by atodd
I discovered that OS X will run on (gasp) 96MB of RAM!
Click to expand...

It will also run with just 64MB, just don't try and run the Classic mode... cause it probably won't.

OS X is a very robust system, and can do more then you think. But, it also benefits from as much RAM as you can toss it's way. Sucks it up like you wouldn't believe, well, some of us would. Those are the ones with between 512MB and 1.5GB of RAM in our Mac's :D.
 
Macs

Put aside the 10 macs at my house now, I am going to be getting a few more! My school used to use macs back in the mid 80s to mid 90s. I think they are converting to PCs, so those macs are going to have a new home!
I know they have about 4 Apple III computers, a few color classics, some classics, a few II si/gs/xi and a lot of other macs! WHOOPI for me!
 
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