I am looking to increase memory on my mac from 1GB to 4GB, so will there be such a huge increase in performance and where will I be able to see that. I am using iMac for school, photos and I play WoW and so far I cant say anything is slow IMO.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Memory Upgrade is it worth it?
- Thread starter whynot83706
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
A RAM increase will almost certainly improve performance in your case. Whether you'll notice depends on how intensely you use your iMac.
The jump from 1 to 1.5GB was fairly dramatic for me, so I think in your case, the most cost-effective upgrade to do is replace one RAM stick with a 2GB stick. You'll have 2.5GB which will be a noticeable upgrade from your current setup, you'll have saved half the money you would have spent, and you still have an easy upgrade path for the future 
The jump from 1 to 1.5GB was fairly dramatic for me, so I think in your case, the most cost-effective upgrade to do is replace one RAM stick with a 2GB stick. You'll have 2.5GB which will be a noticeable upgrade from your current setup, you'll have saved half the money you would have spent, and you still have an easy upgrade path for the future
So it will be ok if I just add one 2GBRAM for total of 3GB. N
Yes, it will be fine like that. Then, in the future, if you find you need more RAM, just remove the 1 gig stick and add another 2 gig to have 4. You will get best performance, though, if you install matched pairs. I'm fairly certain that it won't be noticeable in everyday tasks, but it is the best you could do. If I were you, I would just make it 4, and not worry about it again.
I just upgraded my RAM from 1GB to 4GB (3.3 GB usable) on my white 2.16 GHz 20" iMac 4 days ago. When I first turned the computer on after installing the new RAM, I didn't notice any difference in speed, which was a little alarming, but I rebooted again, and now it is much snappier, and I don't have any lagging when I have a gazillion programs running at once anymore. I keep Mail, iTunes, iCal, and EyeTV open all the time while running various other programs, and I always have more than one Safari window open for some reason. EyeTV runs much faster now (when converting shows to iPod format), too. Also, when I tell a program to quit, it does it almost immediately, where before it had to "think about it." I haven't had to do any force quits since I upgraded, where before I had to do one almost every day, most likely because I tend to keep a lot of programs open at once. I also notice that iPhoto updates my web galleries faster, and I don't get as many beach balls as I used to. It was like getting a new computer again.
I never thought the computer was slow before, either. I wasn't even sure I needed to upgrade the RAM. Considering how much faster my iMac was than any PC I ever had, whatever slowness I perceived with the original RAM was insignificant, but I wanted to see what this baby can really do. I'm glad I did. I can't believe the performance I get from this system! It acts like a much more expensive computer. I say upgrade as much as you can and don't look back. RAM doesn't cost that much as long as you don't get it from Apple (I got my 4 GB from OWC for $155), so why not?
I never thought the computer was slow before, either. I wasn't even sure I needed to upgrade the RAM. Considering how much faster my iMac was than any PC I ever had, whatever slowness I perceived with the original RAM was insignificant, but I wanted to see what this baby can really do. I'm glad I did. I can't believe the performance I get from this system! It acts like a much more expensive computer. I say upgrade as much as you can and don't look back. RAM doesn't cost that much as long as you don't get it from Apple (I got my 4 GB from OWC for $155), so why not?