Upgrade?

[ajchapinjr.com]

Hey all,
I've been a part of Mac Nation since December, when I got my white 13" MacBook. I've enjoyed the switch, and I'm not going back any time soon.

Part of the reason I love my MacBook so much is the fact that it a) never crashes and b) is very fast and fluid, even during application switching, which is something that my PC could never do well.

I've got everything perfect, settings wise. I couldn't be happier.

SO HERE IS THE QUESTION:

Should I upgrade to Leopard? I've got a 1.83GHz Intel, with 512 MB of 667MHz RAM...

I realize the minimum for Leopard is 512 MB. How is Apple with setting system minimums? Will Leopard run, but run wicked slow? Or will it run smoothly...? Like I said, I've dealt with PC's my whole life and am not very sure about how Apple does system requirements.

If it won't be running smoothly...where is the best cheap (I'm up at school, money's tight!) place to get RAM for a 13" MacBook?

Help is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[flopticalcube]

IIWY, I'd wait until I had enough money to get both Leopard and at least 1 stick of 1GB RAM ($40). Your experience would be less than satisfying on 512MB.

 

[ajchapinjr.com]

Looks like eBay has some good prices for a RAM upgrade.

I'll have to get on it.

 

[flopticalcube]

I would purchase RAM from a reputable dealer such as crucial or OWC (macsales). The prices are not that much of a diff and you usually get a lifetime warranty and a guarantee of compatibility. Don't scrimp here or it'll come back to bite you.

 

[ajchapinjr.com]

Thanks for the advice.

Tiger's minimum RAM requirement was listed as 256mb. I've been running extremely smoothly at 512mb.

So I assume that if I double the minimum requirement for Leopard, I'll be fine...? Will 1gb run it well? I know it's tough to tell right now, but...

 

[flopticalcube]

To start with, buy one stick of 1GB, pop out one of the 256MB sticks and pop in the 1GB stick for a total of 1.25GB. When you feel flush with cash again after your Leopard purchase, buy another 1GB stick and you will have maxed out your RAM. Don't bother trying to sell the 256MB sticks as they are pretty well worthless but might come in handy if you have to send your MacBook in for repair (swap out the 1GB sticks first).

If you are running Tiger with 512MB and feel happy, you will be ecstatic with 1.25GB and Leopard.