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cleaner416

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 8, 2004
17
0
New York City
Hello,

I am trying to upgrade my wife's memory on her G4 PowerMac 400 Mhz. She has at present 128MB RAM via 1 SDRAM module. Some (mac newbie) questions:

1. Should I buy the memory at the Apple store?
2. Are there any pairing restrictions? (Can I simply add a 256 module to get 384 - sometimes you can't do this on a PC)

Also - is there a way to get into the bios to do any overclocking? I've read you can, but I'm not sure what the interface is to do so on the mac...

Thanks!
 
crucial makes extremely good memory i'd go with them and get a 512MB module
there aren't any pairing restrictions for the G4 powermac only on the G5 where you have to install memory in pairs

cleaner416 said:
Hello,

I am trying to upgrade my wife's memory on her G4 PowerMac 400 Mhz. She has at present 128MB RAM via 1 SDRAM module. Some (mac newbie) questions:

1. Should I buy the memory at the Apple store?
2. Are there any pairing restrictions? (Can I simply add a 256 module to get 384 - sometimes you can't do this on a PC)

Also - is there a way to get into the bios to do any overclocking? I've read you can, but I'm not sure what the interface is to do so on the mac...

Thanks!
 
Cleaner--

I couldn't recommend buying memory directly from Apple--it's WAY more expensive than elsewhere. Two companies I have good direct experience with are Crucial and Transintl.

I agree with the above poster about getting a 512 stick if you can.

I don't know if it's possible to overclock it, sorry!

Best,

Bob
 
I recommend getting your ram from macsolutions. They have a lifetime warranty with all of their ram and great prices, which, as far as I know, cannot be beaten.
 
I can recommend Crucial. You choose your computer model first, then they tell you what memory you can have in it, and everything's explained. Don't buy memory from Apple, it's just too expensive, and Crucial will give you a guarantee - and no fuss exchange if the module is bad.
 
i'd agree with the above poster, crucial is the way to go. they customer support is good, and their ram is of good quality. i have been buying ram from them for 6 years never had a problem.
 
So far, you've gotten good advice on RAM buying and installation.
Overclocking IS possible, though extremely risky. Voids any warrenty you might still have, increases heat production..... all in all not worth the effort since it can easily cook the cpu. There are several companies that offer CPU upgrades, change your G4 for a 1.5 GHz one (Sonnet, Newer Technology and Power Logix come to mind). Search for the best offers.
 
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