iMac 24" 2.8ghz with 2GIGS, Should I buy 2GIG more ram or 4gb?

[iMacNoob]

Hi,
I know my system can only handle 4 gb.

but is it really better to buy 4gb so the ram is matched, instead of just buying another 2gb and then having a mixed set of ram?

I'm planning on buying from crucial....

oh and doesn't adding ram to an existing system sometimes make it unstable?

at least that is how it is with PC's I think.

I think its the macsales site that says its preferred to by 4 gb set so you don't have a mixed pair of ram.

I guess it is worth the extra $50 then huh?

 

[CanadaRAM]

You can go either with 3 GB or 4 GB, its up to you. There's nothing inherently unstable about the 3 GB configuration, however matching RAM gets you a small (6% - 8%) performance increase due to Dual Channel memory access.

We have a MR Guide: Mac Hardware : Understanding Intel Mac RAM

 

[iMacNoob]

Ok what exactly does matching RAM mean?

I thought it meant buying the same set of RAM from the same manufacturer? ie. if i buy from crucial, i take out the 2gb ram that came with my iMac, and put in 2 x 2gb from crucial.

a mixed set is if I buy 2gb from crucial and put it in my system (it is mixed as it some ram from crucial and some from apple)

Am I wrong here? but the sounds of it mixed means when you have a 2 gb module and a 1 gb module??

 

[Indohottie]

more ram the better.. go with 4 gbs..

 

[Aifel]

Ok what exactly does matching RAM mean?

I thought it meant buying the same set of RAM from the same manufacturer? ie. if i buy from crucial, i take out the 2gb ram that came with my iMac, and put in 2 x 2gb from crucial.

a mixed set is if I buy 2gb from crucial and put it in my system (it is mixed as it some ram from crucial and some from apple)

Am I wrong here? but the sounds of it mixed means when you have a 2 gb module and a 1 gb module??

Matching RAM typically means just matching the numbers. Although getting both pieces of RAM from the same manufacturer would help a tiny bit, it's not really an issue worth paying money for.

 

[idyll]

I think NewEgg has 4GB (2 x 2GB) for $76 or so? I'd say it's worth it.. and just resell the 2GB you have

 

[iMacNoob]

Ok thankfully I ran the crucial ram test, it told me I HAVE to buy 4 gb of ram because I currently have 2 x 1gb installed (there are no empty slots left, so the most I could have gotten was 2gb + 1gb if I wanted to save $).

I bought 2 x 2gb of ram, and it arrived this morning and I just installed it. Working great so far!

I guess I should sell my 2 x 1gb factory RAM on ebay now eh? hehe

 

[Xavier]

Go with the 4gb increase.

I upgraded my laptop, and the performance increase was pretty substantial

 

[GGJstudios]

...I guess I should sell my 2 x 1gb factory RAM on ebay now eh? hehe

I doubt you could get much for it on eBay, since it's what comes standard. You may want to hold onto it as a back-up, in case you ever have problems with your new RAM.

 

[iMacNoob]

yeah I think selling them will be hard, since everyone gets it by default!

(I already bought 4gb thanks!)