Upgrading iBook G4 RAM

[Morrius]

I've got a 12" iBook G4, 1.33 GHz with 512 Mb RAM built in. I'm running Tiger 10.4.10. According to the sysstem profiler, there's an empty slot for a SODIMM, and I'd like to fill it with a 1 Gb chip, specifically this one: http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=ED5B5040A5CA7304 I'm hoping that this will give me a significant performace improvement in WoW without having to drop $2k+ on a new MBP. I'm tired of only getting 4 fps in Stormwind.

I've never opened up my iBook before, and I'm a little nervous. If anyone could share their experiences and offer advice/guidelines, I would appreciate it.

 

[GKThursday]

It's really easy to do, and you don't even have to "open it up" in the traditional sense. All you have to do is pop up the keyboard, unscrew the heat shield, and pop the RAM in the slot. Not as easy as a MacBook (just put 4GB in my brand new baby today) but still pretty simple.

~Thursday

 

[WildCowboy]

Have a look at Chapter 4 of the manual for instructions...it's very, very easy.

I'd recommend buying from either OWC or DMS...top quality RAM at better prices.

 

[alangyssler]

RAM upgrade on a G4 iBook

I upgraded my RAM almost instantly after purchasing my 1.2 ghz iBook. It was a cinch! I unlocked the two keyboard tabs, popped off the keyboard, removed the AE card, unscrewed the little metal guard thingy under the AE card, and gently slid the RAM chip into the holder.

Of course, you'll want to make sure that any screws you remove are kept in a safe place, and that you unplug the laptop and remove the battery before opening up anything.

I think it took all of 10 minutes, and was very VERY painless. I would recommend getting the 1GB stick, and upgrading your machine as high as Apple had documented to be supported. You won't regret it.

 

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

Not to post a useless "ditto" post, but I agree with everyone else that upgrading your RAM will take you all of five minutes. I think I bought my extra memory from mac-pro.com and didn't have any issues with them. Keep in mind though, my iBook has basically the same stats as you and I have a feeling the extra RAM won't do much to improve your gaming graphics. I had a WoW "expert" look at my computer to see if the game could be played on it and he basically laughed as soon as he saw the system profile. Not that I'm an expert on it at all, but I just wanted to warn you before you spent the money on upgrading an old machine (which was what I was going to do originally until I decided the benefit of extra RAM in a G4 would be negligible and my money better spent on a new system altogether).

 

[Warbrain]

I actually prefer the access method for the iBooks over the MacBooks. Those damn screws on the MacBook are small. The iBook...quick and simple and normal screw size.

 

[Sun Baked]

I don't know, the part in the directions where you stand on your head and sing loudly "I'm a little tea pot ..." before going onto the next step sounds rather difficult and embarrassing.