Possible to upgrade to 512 mb video ram on the iMac?

[ss987]

title kind of says it all...i know that apple only offers the upgrade to 256 mb vram, but is it possible to upgrade after? btw, i'm only asking because i don't know how the quality will be on games? i'm new to mac and mac displays, so if you think 256 mb is plenty for most games (call of duty and other first person shooters) please tell me...thanks for the advice...btw, i have not bought the computer yet, so it will either be an iMac with a core duo, or i may wait for the core 2 duo line to come out...

 

[Eidorian]

No, on the current X1600. I don't know about the future.

 

[calebjohnston]

To me, 256 sounds incredible. Most people play on 32 or 64 and never have too many problems. I myself have 64mb and don't get too much of a problem from it. The 256 will be plenty unless you're an uber l337 CS 1.6 player.

 

[Eidorian]

To me, 256 sounds incredible. Most people play on 32 or 64 and never have too many problems. I myself have 64mb and don't get too much of a problem from it. The 256 will be plenty unless you're an uber l337 CS 1.6 player.

I've run Half Life 2 on the 865 and GMA900. CS 1.6 is nothing.

 

[ss987]

wow, thanks for all the quick replies...in your opinion what system configuration should i get for the iMac if i want to play games?

 

[Sun Baked]

Nope, because of the way the Macs are engineered -- you need to buy a PowerMac (Mac Pro) to gain some flexibility in certain parts.

Probably would be easier to convert a 2 door coupe into a 5 door SUV with your choice of any 3 hand tools.

 

[Eidorian]

wow, thanks for all the quick replies...in your opinion what system configuration should i get for the iMac if i want to play games?

The X1600 with 256 MB will last you in the long run. The 128 MB is fine too but you want more video RAM for gaming.

 

[JaxMac]

The X1600 with 256 MB will last you in the long run. The 128 MB is fine too but you want more video RAM for gaming.

How exactly do you upgrade from 126mb to 256mb? I noticed the option at Apple.com but not a re-seller like MacMall. So is it as simple as buying ram and installing it yourself? Or are the current iMac's unopenable? Would self installation void the warranty?

Thanks!

 

[Eidorian]

How exactly do you upgrade from 126mb to 256mb? I noticed the option at Apple.com but not a re-seller like MacMall. So is it as simple as buying ram and installing it yourself? Or are the current iMac's unopenable? Would self installation void the warranty?

Thanks!

You can get it built to order. More then likely from Apple only.

 

[Stridder44]

How exactly do you upgrade from 126mb to 256mb? I noticed the option at Apple.com but not a re-seller like MacMall. So is it as simple as buying ram and installing it yourself? Or are the current iMac's unopenable? Would self installation void the warranty?

Thanks!

I think theyre just 2 different graphics cards (one with 256 ram instead of 128). Think of buying a graphics card from best buy (or wherever) for your pc, you can't take it home and insert more RAM onto the board itself.

 

[JaxMac]

I think theyre just 2 different graphics cards (one with 256 ram instead of 128). Think of buying a graphics card from best buy (or wherever) for your pc, you can't take it home and insert more RAM onto the board itself.

That's too bad. Thanks.