Leave In Old RAM When Adding More?

[benh911f]

I have a Mid 2010 21.5" 3.2 GhZ Core i3 with 4GB of RAM. I just purchased 2x4GB to add, and left in the old RAM when I did this. This is ok, I assume? Also, the computer does not seem to be much faster when launching apps, etc., which I assumed it would be. The Mac is correctly displaying 12 GB RAM, I reset the PRAM, NVRAM and SMC. Is there anything I seem to be missing that would not make a noticeable bump in boot time, app launch time, etc.?
Thanks

 

[2012Tony2012]

I have a Mid 2010 21.5" 3.2 GhZ Core i3 with 4GB of RAM. I just purchased 2x4GB to add, and left in the old RAM when I did this. This is ok, I assume? Also, the computer does not seem to be much faster when launching apps, etc., which I assumed it would be. The Mac is correctly displaying 12 GB RAM, I reset the PRAM, NVRAM and SMC. Is there anything I seem to be missing that would not make a noticeable bump in boot time, app launch time, etc.?
Thanks

I have an mid 2007 iMac and it has 1GB RAM, but I went and bought a new 1GB RAM SIM and put it in next to the old 1GB RAM and it works well It was very slow to launch apps etc with 1GB but now it's lightning fast with 3GB RAM, so I assume after 3 or 4GB RAM that it won't get faster for you seeing it's already fast with 3-4GB RAM?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

It is okay to leave the old RAM in, many do the same.

RAM does not have much to do with boot times or starting applications.
RAM holds current and recently closed (Inactive RAM) applications and documents, thus the access to them is faster.

What is RAM? - measured again in MB and GB

Random Access Memory (RAM) is the "working memory" in a computer. Additional RAM allows a computer to work with more information at the same time which can have a dramatic effect on total system performance.

What is a Hard Disk Drive (HDD)? - measured in Bytes (B), MegaBytes (MB), GigaBytes (GB) and TeraBytes (TB)

The hard disk drive is the main, and usually largest, data storage device in a computer. The operating system, software titles and most other files are stored in the hard disk drive.

What Is a Solid State Drive (SSD)?

A solid-state drive (SSD), also called a flash drive, is type of hard drive. Though the architecture of an SSD is quite different from traditional hard drives, the name is carried over. An SSD utilizes a special kind of memory chip with erasable, writeable cells that can hold data even when powered off. It might help to think of an SSD as the larger cousin of the memory stick.

Another article about SSD technology

What is a CPU? - measured in MegaHertz (MHz) and GigaHertz (GHz)

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is responsible for interpreting and executing most of the commands from the computer's hardware and software. It is often called the "brains" of the computer.

 

[Yougotcarved]

I have a Mid 2010 21.5" 3.2 GhZ Core i3 with 4GB of RAM. I just purchased 2x4GB to add, and left in the old RAM when I did this. This is ok, I assume? Also, the computer does not seem to be much faster when launching apps, etc., which I assumed it would be. The Mac is correctly displaying 12 GB RAM, I reset the PRAM, NVRAM and SMC. Is there anything I seem to be missing that would not make a noticeable bump in boot time, app launch time, etc.?
Thanks

RAM doesn't really help with boot times/load times of apps. Adding an SSD is what would help speed those things up.