Will upgrading to 2GB RAM make any significant change?

[xfusejc]

I have a 20'' Intel Core 2 Duo iMac. I bought it at a store, so it came with the regular options (meaning I have 1GB of RAM.)

I was thinking of upgrading it, and buying 2 memory sticks of 1GB each, for a total of 2GB. Will there actually be a noticeable difference in the speed? Programs opening faster, Photoshop not taking the time it's taking at the moment to load and do regular stuff?

 

[mrgreen4242]

I have a 20'' Intel Core 2 Duo iMac. I bought it at a store, so it came with the regular options (meaning I have 1GB of RAM.)

I was thinking of upgrading it, and buying 2 memory sticks of 1GB each, for a total of 2GB. Will there actually be a noticeable difference in the speed? Programs opening faster, Photoshop not taking the time it's taking at the moment to load and do regular stuff?

I don't have an Intel Mac at the moment, so I can't give any insight to your situation, but I Can tell you that your trouble with Photoshop is that it's a PPC application and being run in Rosetta. The new version (CS3) of PF is Universal and should address your issues with that app.

Also, in general, more memory is good, especially for Macs.

 

[roland.g]

Yes, there can be a significant performance difference between 1GB and 2GB of RAM, especially when factoring something like Photoshop, not to mention any type of Rosetta app, as well of course as the number of apps open and the size of the files you are working with. I consider 2GB RAM my system minimum for any computer I would buy at this point.

 

[JNB]

You can never have too much memory. Some apps will be more responsive, others you won't notice a thing. Finder operations should definitely improve. If you have the $$ and no desperate need for anything else, absolutely max the RAM. Never a bad choice.

 

[TheAnswer]

If you use Photoshop a lot, go for it...even if you upgrade to the new CS3 version, you will probably make good use of it.

For speeding up everyday use, it's harder to say...if you open up the Activities Monitor in your Utilities folder and click the System Memory tab, it can tell you if you would benefit from more memory. If you have a lot of green in your pie chart during "regular usage" of the iMac, then more memory won't help...if you have just a tiny bit of green, then more RAM will help.

 

[xfusejc]

^ I'll check on that when I get home.

Otherwise, I could just save up and buy a 2GIG and a 1GIG stick and max it out.

 

[UKingdom]

i also need some advice

i just bought a imac 20 inch with 1 gig of ram (2 512's) and i want to upgrade to 2 gigs.

the only way i can do this is to take out the 2 512s and either put in a 2 gig in one slot, or 2 1 gig sticks. i'm leaning towards the latter.

i was able to find crucial 2 gig ( 2 x 1 gig) for 129.99, that's certainly a lot cheaper than the 350 apple is asking for a 2 gig stick. is the performance going to be comparable? i think crucial is a reputable brand, no?

this is the link; it should work, right?

http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartsp...5FD16EA5CA7304

i was considering selling the 2 512 stock sticks to offset the cost of new ram but having read the above i think it's a good idea to keep it just in case for applecare purposes. thoughts?

 

[aLoC]

I think there is a tiny performance benefit (like 5%) in having matched pairs of RAM. So 2 x 1GB stick is marginally faster than 1 x 2GB stick.

 

[Vidd]

I think there is a tiny performance benefit (like 5%) in having matched pairs of RAM. So 2 x 1GB stick is marginally faster than 1 x 2GB stick.

If he uses a 2GB stick with one of the original 512MB sticks, it'll outdo the 2x1GB sticks.

 

[StealthRider]

If you put dual-channel memory into a Mac with integrated Intel graphics, the difference is huge - I've heard up to a 100% increase in the speed of GPU-intensive apps. Since you don't have an Intel GMA in your machine, the boost will be negligible if you go dual-channel. 3GB > 2GB dual-channel.