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Where to get ram

seattlecal said:
Hellhammer, I would get a macpro in the first place but they are so expensive. In fact when I started the journey into getting a home studio that was the one that I wanted. But then figured out less funds were going to come in and switched to the imac. However if a macpro would do everything i've asked of it might be a good idea to push the deadline for equipment to a later date and splurge on it. What I did not get was that it showed it got 3 Gb and the imac got 4 so this is quite confusing. Let me know your thoughts I appreciate it.:)
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Quad-core Mac Pro has four RAM slots and it's max is 8Gb (I'm not sure is it 16Gb but Apple says it's 8Gb and Intel says it's 8Gb but I've heard that it can take up to 16Gb)

Stock quad-core Mac Pro: 2499$

4 x 2Gb DDR3 from Crucial: 188$

Total: 2687$

And you can still upgrade GPU and maybe more RAM and you have 4 HD slots while iMac has only one

iMac 3.06GHz, GT130, 1TB: 2199$

2 x 4Gb DDR3 from Crucial: 899$ (can be cheaper from other manufacturer)

Total: 3098$

No upgradeable GPU or processor, RAM maxed out, so HD is only upgradeable thing left.

I would get Mac Pro, it gives you the biggest bang for your buck
 
hellhammer I appreciate the breakdown and believe I will take your advice. It may take a few more months but it sounds like it's well worth it. How come the Gb cost so much less for the macpro than the imac Gb? It's funny but everyone has a different opinion and one guy told me you get the best bang for your buck with the imac. Sorry, totally scratch that as I think he was comparing to an laptop I was looking at so doesn't apply. But out of your calculations it would seem that the macpro is the way to go.
 
seattlecal said:
hellhammer I appreciate the breakdown and believe I will take your advice. It may take a few more months but it sounds like it's well worth it. How come the Gb cost so much less for the macpro than the imac Gb? It's funny but everyone has a different opinion and one guy told me you get the best bang for your buck with the imac. Sorry, totally scratch that as I think he was comparing to an laptop I was looking at so doesn't apply. But out of your calculations it would seem that the macpro is the way to go.
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This doesn't factor in the 24" screen. Apples LED 24" display is $899. Keep that in mind.

The RAM is more expensive in the iMac because it is made of laptop parts.

As for your choices, I do say get a mac pro, just keep in mind you need to buy a display.
 
So the actual computer comes without a display? Interesting and kind of cruddy what do the screens tend to cost? And I just looked on crucial and it said that 4x2 sticks were 899 bucks so I'm confused it I'm just not looking at the right thind. Thanks for all your help guys I feel I'm closing in on the finish line to make my long awaited decision on what to get.:)
 
Very sorry for my last reply zedsdead as you clearly answered how much a screen costs. So this is going to run well over 3000 I take it.
 
seattlecal said:
So the actual computer comes without a display? Interesting and kind of cruddy what do the screens tend to cost? And I just looked on crucial and it said that 4x2 sticks were 899 bucks so I'm confused it I'm just not looking at the right thind. Thanks for all your help guys I feel I'm closing in on the finish line to make my long awaited decision on what to get.:)
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The iMac comes with 2 RAM slots, so if you want 8GB, you will need 2 4GB RAM sticks which are very expensive. Oh and Mac Pros do not come with displays, you will have to buy our own.
 
I can feel the mac pro slipping out of my fingers. first my mind is blown that 2499 doesn't come with a screen. And then in order to get 8 gb it's going to cost me another 1000. So we're looking at around 4500. I think it may be too rich for my blood. I must have been misunderstanding the calculations. Oh, I want it but I can't afford to go that long without a computer when I think I can get an imac for half the price that will do fine with what I need. So just as you think it's all coming together it flips on you. Been my experience now for months just can't quite figure out what to get. But thanks all you've helped me realize that at this particular time macpro doesn't seem a possibility hopefully in the future it will.:)
 
Now I'm just lost cause everyone's saying get the mac pro and I just looked again at the imac and that it would cost around 3 grand. Boy, it really all adds up.
 
thanks macmini have you any idea when and where to look for the 8 gb? So you are believing that the imac is sufficient? I would be getting the 3.06 ghz but just paying the 150 for the extra ghz to make the computer 1959 rather than pay 2199 for the additional things that I don't think I need but maybe I do.
 
seattlecal said:
thanks macmini have you any idea when and where to look for the 8 gb? So you are believing that the imac is sufficient? I would be getting the 3.06 ghz but just paying the 150 for the extra ghz to make the computer 1959 rather than pay 2199 for the additional things that I don't think I need but maybe I do.
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I just re-looked at what you need the machine for, and the high end iMac will be more than sufficient. I run Logic and Pro Tools on my 2.8 iMac with 4 gigs of RAM without any issues. As many of us mentioned, you might not need the 8 gigs of RAM, so you may want to wait until the price comes down. If you need it I recommend OWC:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/8566DDR3S8GP/

($729)

Remember, upgrading to the High End iMac gives you more Hard Drive Space and a better Graphics Card (you might even consider maxing out the Graphics Card to the ATI card...completely worth the $50).
 
seattlecal said:
thanks macmini have you any idea when and where to look for the 8 gb? So you are believing that the imac is sufficient? I would be getting the 3.06 ghz but just paying the 150 for the extra ghz to make the computer 1959 rather than pay 2199 for the additional things that I don't think I need but maybe I do.
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Yes that iMac will be sufficient (consider getting the high-end iMac and the ATI 4850), and get 8GB of RAM when it is cheaper, I think 4GB of RAM will be fine for you at the moment. Crucial.com or Macsales.com is great place for 8GB of RAM, but it is quite expensive ($700-$900)
 
when does the price of ram go down and would I just look for it at crucial and owc? Sorry, I'll have to go check but I have been talking about the 1799 one is the high end one 2199 that you two are talking about? and I've gotta write these things down you guys also suggest.:)
 
seattlecal said:
when does the price of ram go down and would I just look for it at crucial and owc? Sorry, I'll have to go check but I have been talking about the 1799 one is the high end one 2199 that you two are talking about? and I've gotta write these things down you guys also suggest.:)
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Yes, I am talking about the $2199 model. 8GB of RAM will get cheaper in a couple months. 4GB is fine for now.
 
thanks macmini sanity has come back to my computer purchase. I started licking my chops with the macpro but in the end it's a little too pricey for now. I appreciate your help:)
 
Sorry just one quick question. In the future when I'm looking for ram on owc or crucial how do I write it? 2 x 4 ram or 2x4 Gb I'm not sure exactly what to look for as sometimes I see what I think it is and it says $55 which of course is not it as I know it's more around $800. Also when would be a good time to look? 3 or 6 months from now? Thanks again for the help!:)
 
seattlecal said:
Sorry just one quick question. In the future when I'm looking for ram on owc or crucial how do I write it? 2 x 4 ram or 2x4 Gb I'm not sure exactly what to look for as sometimes I see what I think it is and it says $55 which of course is not it as I know it's more around $800. Also when would be a good time to look? 3 or 6 months from now? Thanks again for the help!:)
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Well on Crucial, there should something called the Crucial Mac Memory Advisor Tool near the top of the page (next to the scanner), you will see a drop down list where you will pick the specific model of your iMac and find its RAM.
 
As others have said, get the machine first and only worry about adding RAM if you have a problem.

You are sort of obsessing here over not having enough RAM and you don't even have the computer yet.

I have the 2.93ghz iMac and routinely run a ton of very intensive programs on it, including Windows 7 RC1 under VMWare and the Mac has no problems with it. I've had 95% of my RAM in use and everything runs extremely smooth with no slowdowns or problems.

Get the Mac that makes the most sense for you (probably iMac) and only obsess over memory upgrades when you actually run into an issue doing everything you want to do with the machine.

Noone can tell you when memory prices are going to go down. In some cases they spike back up for a few months. Anything can happen, but it's pretty unlikely that you are going to run into huge performance issues with a top of the line iMac with 4GB of RAM.

Macs hold their value extremely well. In the off chance that you are not satisfied with the performance of the iMac then another option is for you to simply sell it for 80% of what you paid for it and put the monies towards a faster Mac.
 
seattlecal said:
So the actual computer comes without a display? Interesting and kind of cruddy what do the screens tend to cost? And I just looked on crucial and it said that 4x2 sticks were 899 bucks so I'm confused it I'm just not looking at the right thind. Thanks for all your help guys I feel I'm closing in on the finish line to make my long awaited decision on what to get.:)
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Mac Pro has 4 RAM slots while iMac has 2. Yea, Mac Pro comes without display but you don't have to get Apple one. There are other displays for much lower price

iMac should be fine for you but if you want 8Gb of RAM Mac Pro is cheaper and more powerful
 
I figured the new imac will cost me around 2419 plus tax. That's including a 50 dollar upgrade on the graphics. I'd love to have the macpro but I honestly can't see how it would be cheaper than the imac. Of course I want all the power but as many have stated I should not worry until I run into issues running logic studio, symphonic choir and my learning lessons through gband. Someone said I'm obsessing over ram. Here's the reason why I was in the apple forum and I had guys saying get ram, ram and more ram. You get the picture they were pushing it hard so if it seems as if I'm obsessing it's just something I was told in the apple forum. I understand I haven't even gotten the computer yet but I get confused when I hear I could get a macpro for less. It throws my computer purchasing thoughts into an upheaval cuz of course I want the macpro it just doesn't seem viable on my budget right now. However hopefully in the future I would upgrade if I were to get the imac now. Decisions, decisions.
 
seattlecal said:
I figured the new imac will cost me around 2419 plus tax. That's including a 50 dollar upgrade on the graphics. I'd love to have the macpro but I honestly can't see how it would be cheaper than the imac. Of course I want all the power but as many have stated I should not worry until I run into issues running logic studio, symphonic choir and my learning lessons through gband. Someone said I'm obsessing over ram. Here's the reason why I was in the apple forum and I had guys saying get ram, ram and more ram. You get the picture they were pushing it hard so if it seems as if I'm obsessing it's just something I was told in the apple forum. I understand I haven't even gotten the computer yet but I get confused when I hear I could get a macpro for less. It throws my computer purchasing thoughts into an upheaval cuz of course I want the macpro it just doesn't seem viable on my budget right now. However hopefully in the future I would upgrade if I were to get the imac now. Decisions, decisions.
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Get the iMac and test it, you have 14 days to return it. 4Gb is enough for you now, but in future get 8Gb when its price is reasonable.
 
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