Question to Mac Users...

[jdogg707]

I just got a new PowerBook G4 1GHZ machine with 512MB PC133 installed and was wondering if it would be beneficial to me to sell the two 256MB PC133 sticks inside of it now and buy two 512MB PC133 sticks to upgrade the total memory to 1GB. This is my first time with a Mac system and was just wondering if the jump from 512 to 1GB would be worth it/noticeable? Thanks.

 

[GonzoDaGr8]

All depends on what you use it for...what will the purpose of this machine be?

 

[jdogg707]

I really am onyl getting started with it at the moment...E-Mail, Web Browsing, Office X use, iTunes and a little bit of iMovie and iDVD since it has a superdrive. I'm using it for pretty basic stuff, but do like a lot of applications open at once and am not sure how power hungry my Mac is...not sure how to tell how much memory programs are taking up, etc.

 

[Excelsior]

Well I know OS X loves memory, so IMO Id go for it.

 

[GonzoDaGr8]

Unless you have the extra money to fork out, I would stick with the 512 for now. If you get into video editing or Phtotshop type programs, then I would getthe extra ram.

 

[Erasmus-X]

I have the exact same model as you, except that I custom-ordered it from Apple with the 512 MB of RAM on one SoDIMM.

For right now, 512 MB seems to work fine with everything (even with Final Cut, which is a huge memory hog), but more RAM always helps in applications like that. I guess it all depends on what you use your notebook for. Just keep in mind that you'd be shelling out close to $300 on getting two 512 MB PC133 SoDIMMS (SDRAM is a lot more expensive than DDR RAM now), so be prepared.

Regards,

Nick

 

[Cadaver]

The extra RAM will come in handy if you're the type of person who has more than one or two apps running at the same time. If you quit an app before going to the next, the cost of the extra RAM probably wont be worth it.

If you use multiple programs simultaneously, then yes, the RAM will be worth it. I consider 512MB a minimum for OS X. 768MB would be good. 1GB would be great if you can afford it and have the need.

Try this- use the machine for a day or two without rebooting. Go to the Terminal and execute a 'top' command. Look at the "page outs" (virtual memory page swaps) in the display. If it's a high number (say, greater than 1000), you'd benefit from more RAM. Check out some of the Mac sites for a better explanation.