Upgrading ram?

[mossimo]

I currently have the standard base model with 1 gig of ram. My question is how much (if any) do i need to upgrade to ? I use my macbook primarily for email, surfing, media ( itunes, garageband, idvd etc) editing photos. I do notice that my beachball will activate when i have 9 apps open, which i use all the time using expose. All comments are welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[GGJstudios]

If you're getting the beachball a lot, it could be an indication that you need more RAM. Since it's so inexpensive, it's not a bad idea to get as much as your system will allow.

You'll find answers to this and many other commonly asked questions under the Guides tab at the top of this page:

• Guides : Hardware: MR Guide to Buying RAM
• Guides : Hardware: MR Guide to Understanding Intel Mac RAM
• Apple charges more than double the price you would pay with other reputable RAM providers (for example, $200 for 4GB RAM.)
• A great source for Mac-compatible RAM is OWC. Their MacBook and MacBook Pro 4GB upgrade kit is $99 (£50). You can check their site for other configurations.
• Another source is Crucial memory from newegg.com.
• Installation for a Macbook or a MacBook Pro or iMac is easy and does not void the Apple Warranty or the AppleCare Protection Plan, unless you damage something in the process.

If you have questions that these sources doesn't cover, you can check to see if it has been answered in another thread by doing a Google search of the forums. I hope this helps!

It will help people give you accurate advice if you include information about the Mac model you're using. Refer to my signature below for an example.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

If you just want to make things faster, try 2GB of ram, but I have 4 GB ram which is the maximum for any mac laptop. Go with 4GB, you'll be glad for the extra ram. Kingston, Crucial, OWC, OWZ, Samsung and Micron (both factrory originals) are good sellers of ram. Most sites have a ram-chooser, you just select which model computer you have.

 

[mossimo]

Wow, Thats about all the info i could have asked for! This forum is great! Thanks. GGJSTUDIOS, Thanks for pointing out that i forgot to type my specs.

 

[mossimo]

snowleapord, I am going with 4 gigs, What brand do you use. i didn't realize how cheap it can be especially installing it yourself, which i heard how easy it is.

 

[alphaod]

snowleapord, I am going with 4 gigs, What brand do you use.

Easy as pi

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227247

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

snowleapord, I am going with 4 gigs, What brand do you use. i didn't realize how cheap it can be especially installing it yourself, which i heard how easy it is.

I bought 2 X 2Gb sticks from Kingston. I got it for $60, with a $15 rebate. What laptop/desktop do you have? The iMac, MacBook, and MacBook Pro ram guides.

Any mac computer that has Leopard factory installed by default can support 4GB of ram. Any Tiger system can support 3GB maximum. And as a last note, be sure that both memory slots have equal amounts of ram. And don't mix/match ram brands. Make sure both memory slots are parallel (both slots have 2GB each or 1GB each or 512MB each) Dont have one slot use 1GB and another slot use 2GB. Each core to perform to it's maximum potential must have equal ram. That's why dual core cpus have two slots, one slot for each core. Good luck!

 

[mossimo]

Kingston it is. Can i expect a major difference in speed? Im assuming so.. Any suggestions on what i can do with the two 512mb cards i will have left over such as donating them etc. Sorry if its a stupid question but i hate to have perfectly fine hardware sitting around when someone else may be able to use it. Oh by the way, i have a 2008 macbook, is that a santa rosa or penyrn. I was looking in the profiler and couldnt find it.

 

[GGJstudios]

... Oh by the way, i have a 2008 macbook, is that a santa rosa or penyrn. I was looking in the profiler and couldnt find it.

Both. Santa Rosa is the platform. Penryn is the processor.

 

[mossimo]

LOL shows how much i know! Thanks for clearing that up for this newbie.

 

[GGJstudios]

LOL shows how much i know! Thanks for clearing that up for this newbie.

No problem at all! We all start as newbies sometime! By the way:

Welcome to Mac ownership and welcome to MacRumors:Forums! You'll find a lot of information both here and on the web. Here are a few resources that may be helpful:

Mac 101 a tour of the Mac OS X
Apple Support search Apple Support and the Knowledge Base
MRoogle for searching the forums with Google (always a good idea before posting new questions)
How to set up a quick right-click search of the MR forums.
MacRumors FAQ
MacRumors Rules
MacRumors Guides Very helpful stuff!
A list of the MR Forums (so you'll know which forum is best to post a new question)
Maximizing your MacRumors troubleshooting experience. (if you really need help, this is valuable to know!)
Apple Find Out How
Apple Keyboard Shortcuts
You can find lists of essential applications here and here and here.....and here.

If you search the forums and don't find what you're looking for, just ask! There's lots of friendly help here! Enjoy your new Mac!

 

[mossimo]

Awesome! Thanks so much .... that will make my macbook even better ! Information truly is power. What plug ins do you recommend? I have flip for mac already. Thanks again.

 

[GGJstudios]

Awesome! Thanks so much .... that will make my macbook even better ! Information truly is power. What plug ins do you recommend? I have flip for mac already. Thanks again.

Check out the links to essential apps in my last post. Lots of good info there.

 

[mossimo]

Check, sorry should have read through before i asked...