Mountain Lion is doodoo on 2GB RAM, what should I upgrade to?

[tipoo]

So ML is really terrible on on 2GB RAM, should I go 4 or 8? Or 5, but that would be asynchronous and I think that would break dual channel? I'm happy with 4GB in Windows 8 but I'm not sure if ML handles differently (I was surprised how much heavier it feels than Windows). It's the last white macbook (c2d 2.4/320m).

If I did get a 4GB stick and went 5GB, would losing dual channel make anything significantly slower? This is for a med student, nothing heavy like programming or graphics work but she does multitask a lot.

 

[PCTC2]

Your MacBook officially only supports 4GB but people have been able to bump to 8GB. I'm not sure how well NVIDIA chipsets handle mis-matched DIMM sizes. Intel has Flex Mode which does have much of a performance hit anymore at all. I doubt you'd notice anything.

I would say, jump to 6GB (2+4GB) or 8GB.

As a word of advice, stay away from Kingston. Kingston + Mac has always been finicky (I've never tried any Kingston memory that was designated "Mac", though). I worked in a Authorized Apple Service Provider shop for 4 years and every non-Mac Kingston stick had issues. Stick to Crucial and some Corsair. We officially used Crucial for everything (reliability might not be the best, but it worked).

 

[Kaido]

Throwing in an SSD helps a lot. I use Mushkin drives (120GB/240GB/480GB). They help the overall speed of the computer, including multi-tasking and virtual memory. The 240GB is on sale for $179:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226226

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Using 10.8 and 4GB pretty happily. I have an SSD though. I'd go to 8 if you can, just because it's cheap.

 

[Eug]

4 GB would be fine, but 8 GB is cheap.

2 x 4 GB Crucial can be had for under 40 bucks. You'd only save about $15 by going with 2 x 2 GB.

 

[Rottie]

See my expense signature below… 🙂

 

[midwestfisherman]

Memory is cheap. Max it out.

 

[boomhower]

8GB and SSD for me, it flies.

 

[umrigar]

8 GB is $47.50 here
http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgrades.cfm?model=394

6 GB is $38 - why bother when it's only $10 for 2 GB more & maxed out?

SSD will help for sure, there are some bargains to be had.

 

[Compman55]

ARE YOU NUTS???

8GB is so cheap it is hardly a mind thought. My October 2009 mini came alive with 8GB and I would never look back. I used the cheap g.skill off newegg and it tested and worked flawless right off the bat. Its been in for over 2 yrs and no issues.

An SSD like a samsung 830 series is also an awsome upgrade. It is tried and true.

 

[xx0xx]

I second the Samsung 830 + 8GB RAM upgrade. Can't go wrong there.

Using G.Skill here with no issues.