IMac RAM upgrade questions

I have Intel iMac bought in 2008. 2GB RAM. Looking to add to it. I watched a few video's on YouTube and it looks easy enough. The video says two 1GB cards are $110 and I see them on eBay for $30 so wondering if anyone knows the best place to buy this and can confirm what type I need to buy.
Any info on this would help make me doing this myself much easier. Thanks! - Nick

Check out Other World Computing or Crucial.com or NewEgg for reliable memory sticks at excellent prices. These sites also have specific instructional videos on how to replace the memory sticks. If you take your time and are very careful, it might take all of 20 minutes. I upgraded mine with no problems at all. It involved unscrewing a plate on the bottom of your iMac, pulling a couple of tabs to remove the old memory and then inserting the new ones.
Just make sure to check with the vendor on the match of the memory to your specific iMac.

Similar Messages

Another RAM upgrade question

Hi everyone,
I know there seems to be lots of RAM upgrade questions here but hey thats what forums are for.
I'm looking to upgrade my macbook's RAM it's currently got 2GB (2x1GB)
Is it possible to purchase 1x4GB and put that with one of my current 1GB sticks to create a total of 5GB?
I would be interested to know if this is possible or if anyone has tried it.
Thanks in advance
Scott

This will work if your MacBook is late '07 or newer.

Some RAM upgrade questions

I have an Imac which i purchaswed in Nov. 2007 with 1 gb of RAM. Am looking to add more ram and have the following questions:
I am thinking of adding another 2 to give me a total of 3. Would this work.
Does the ram have to exactly match (manufacturer) of my original Apple ram.
I see ram from OWC, crucial, Ramjet, etc. Any positive or negative experiences?
I am looking at getting 2 gb of ram from crucial and adding it myself.
thoughts??
THANX

I see ram from OWC, crucial, Ramjet, etc. Any positive or negative experiences?
I am looking at getting 2 gb of ram from crucial and adding it myself.
thoughts??
I did exactly the same thing as you: I purchased my iMac online in November 2007, with the minimum amount of RAM installed so that I could do my own RAM upgrade later. I then ordered 1 GB of RAM from Crucial, and I must say that their prices are superb, not to mention their excellent service and speedy shipping. Because I live in Canada, I had to pay customs duty, but the final price was STILL much less expensive than any other Canadian RAM dealer, let alone the astronomical prices on Apple's web site! In my humble opinion, Crucial is highly recommended.

Basic RAM upgrade question

Hi,
I've read a lot of threads on ram upgrades, but still have a very basic question. I want to buy the $599 Mac Mini, which comes with 1G RAM. Clearly, the Mac RAM is overpriced, but I've been told by a friend to upgrade to at least 2G for $50 extra. I realize Crucial and others sell it cheaper, but I don't know about my ability to put it in.
Is it worth another $100 to go from 2G to 4G. Will I see a noticeable performance increase if I'm using iMovie, Photoshop or Final Cut Express? Or surfing? Are we talking about a few extra seconds when rendering video but no other noticeable effects? I plan to keep this machine for our family machine now that my child is using iWeb.
I'm sorry if this has been answered, but I'm on a very tight budget and worried about my job in this economy. Thanks for your help.

If you are on a tight budget and have any concern about on-going warranty support for a new mini, then it is a better proposition to buy the $50 upgrade to 2Gb from Apple than to do the RAM upgrade yourself and go to 4Gb for little more. It's not that the upgrade is particularly difficult because it isn't, but if you are not reasonably confident in your skills and something goes wrong, Apple could declare the warranty void due to the work you've done on the inside of the system.
There is a notable performance gain to be had from 4Gb as opposed to 2Gb, but much of the difference is less than obvious, particularly if you are careful about what apps you have running at any time. Running Photoshop, for example, would cause the system to slow down if you then launch another major app such as iMovie, but running it alone in 2Gb RAM would give you respectable performance. Final Cut Express isn't particularly demanding on the system so should run well, as would the vast majority of Intel-native applications. It's only if you are running any non-native processes (applications, drivers etc) that 2Gb would prove notably limiting.
If it were me, I'd probably opt for the base model, buy 4Gb RAM from Crucial and do the upgrade myself. Next choice would be the base model, buy the RAM from Crucial and have a local Apple Approved Service Provider do the work for me - some AASPs charge a reasonable fee for this. Third choice would be to buy the base model with Apple-supplied 2Gb RAM and then at a later time replace that with 4Gb from Crucial as and when funds and circumstances reasonably permit it.

Desktop RAM upgrade questions

Hi, I have hp elite m9000t series desktop with 2 GB(1 x 1GB) ram and as per the specs and research in hp website it can support to 8gb. RAM is of DDR2-SDRAM (pc2-5300 / 667 MHZ) type. I have 2 more slots open, so guess that can add 4gb(2 x 2gb) of ram. Question is 1) do i need to buy the sam ddr2 667 mhz ram or can i go to higher speed models? 2) is it compatible to have 2 slots with 1 gb each and another 2 slots with 2gb ram each? 3)what is the recomended RAM for window7 better peformance? i am planning to install VMware to do other OS like linux, etc.. given that i may need more RAM. Please suggest me on the memory upgrade..I am seriously looking towards windows7 release date, i am very much disappointed with vista, cant wait for windows 7.
btw, i am planning to upgrade to 64bit windows 7 professional, currently i am running with home premium 32bit.

It's best to install RAM which is just like the one you have right now, i.e. pc2-5300 / 667 MHZ. In fact, I would recommend using RAM from the same manufacturer as the one that is currently installed. Each slot should have the same amount of RAM. So I suggest you use 1+1 or 2+2 rather than 1+2. Since you'll be using VMWare(hope your processor supports Virtualization), I suggest you go for 2+2.
Make it easier for other people to find solutions, by marking my answer with \'Accept as Solution\' if it solves your problem.
Click on the BLUE KUDOS button on the left to say "Thanks"
I am an ex-HP Employee.

Sore thumbs from iMac RAM upgrade

iMac 27" i7 Ram upgrade from 4GB to 16GB, boy, these ram upgrade really gave my thumbs a hard workout! I've had at least a dozen Ram upgrades across PCs and laptops, never had to push the Rams in as hard as I did today. Still sore thumbs after 3 hours!

Try hard they pop up.
I just insert a 2x$GB in the free slots and it come with 2x2GB so like 12Gb.
Do you know the plastic tabs to remobe the modules?
I saw that one of them is like the paper in the photo,i see you have some experience upgrading ram so because none answer my post i decide asking you directly.
The 2011 imac is working for almost three months and it recognize the new memory modules but now i know that one of the tabs is touching a ram module,is that big problem?I mean no just because the static energy more because if the module become too hot(I even know if they become hot by use) the tab can burn,is something to worry about or just ignore it?
Thank you very much.

HDD and RAM Upgrade Questions...

I am thinking about upgrading my HDD and memory. My computer is a Qosmio X870-BT3G23. HDD is about 1TB and also have 12GB RAM. I am not sure how to upgrade my RAM as I heard the other 2 memory slots are not user accessable. How would I go about upgrading HDD and transfer all my stuff over? I think my computer has slots for 2 HDDs, but not sure... Thoughts on both HDD and RAM upgrade appreciated
Qosmio X870-BT3G23

Skeet, here are the SPECIFICATIONS for your machine if you have not seen them. And on pages 44-53 of your User's Guide is a very thorough description of the adding memory process. As far as transferring files are concerned, at the Start screen, type Easy Transfer, hit Enter and follow instructions.
The specifications indicate you can have 16GB memory in the two accessible memory slots without concerning yourself about the 2 hidden slots. I personally can't imagine why anyone could need more than 16GB memory and 1TB HDD but, of course, that's your call.
C.B.
Toshiba Sat. C75D-B7260 Win 8.1 64 Bit--Toshiba Sat. L775D-S7132 Win 7 HP SP1 64 Bit and Win 10 PRO Technical Preview--Toshiba Sat. L305-S5921 Win Vista SP2 32 Bit

HDD/RAM upgrade question - 400 mhz sawtooth

Hello!
My Sister has a Sawtooth G4 - Well, I believe it's a sawtooth anyway. I don't know for sure, so I'll post a bunch of specs:
It's a 400mhz model, early 2000. It shipped with a 10GB HDD, and 128 RAM. I believe it also has a 100 Mbps Ethernet. It has a DVI and VGA monitor video card, but i'm not sure the Video RAM level. It has an internal FW 400 port as well. The internal Airport card is shot - er, maybe the extension.
It has major issues with the system - and it seems to stem from a botched OS 9.2 install. It's running 9.1, but with trouble. For one, I can't open the extension manager. For two, it's slow, and acts funny.
Well, I thought i'd be nice, and try to get the G4 working for my Sister. It seems that it may require an Clean install of OS 9.0. Oh well, I can do that easily enough. However, before I go through all that trouble, I'm contemplating upgrading the hard drive (at least). With only 10GB, it's not very useful for iTunes, Photoshop, or our old OS 9 games - things she'd like to have.
I looked at the specs for the Mac at:
http://www.lowendmac.com/ppc/g4saw.shtml
It takes an 3.5 inch Ultra ATA drive? I've seen those around - and a 60GB drive or so is becoming pretty cheap. (I've seen 80G for under $50) I just figured i'd ask if anyone has tips on what to buy, how to install it, and Particularly if I need any special adapters for the G4. It does have a slot for a second internal HDD. I've also heard that a fast, second internal HDD can overheat the computer - is this a common issue I should be worried about?
The same questions go for the RAM. I'd like to add at least an extra 128MB, but I'm not entirely sure what to get. The above site mentions that it uses PC100 SDRAM in DIMM mode? Hmmm... I'll have to look around.
Please excuse any silly questions, I'm just far more familiar with more current systems, and it's 1 AM
Thanks,
Dan
PS: It looks to have a slot for a floppy drive under the DVD-ROM drive. I have a bunch of files on our OLD PowerBook 5300 that i'd like to move - but I need a floppy drive. Our old external USB floppy drive is.... very dead. The external floppy drives i've seen at stores seem to be pretty expensive, but internal drives are still fairly cheap (some under $30). How hard would it be to find/buy/install a compatible floppy drive? What format would it need to be? If such an upgrade runs over the $40-50 that a new USB drive costs, it's not really worth it.
15" Powerbook G4 (May 2005 ed), iMac DV (9.2.2) Mac OS X (10.4.6) 1G Ram, 192 (iMac)

Wow, thanks again!
I figured out that this is the AGP graphics Sawtooth - not the Yikes model. Where do these names come from?
As per upgrading to OS X - we have a G5 which she can use, and a XP box - which is down with the flu for the third (or fourth?) time. Therefore, the G4 will stay OS 9. She just wants to have a reliable machine that can play DVDs and music, and play some of our old OS 9 games. It's not intended to run any new programs, just the old ones that she can't run now. When I mentioned photoshop - it's a "Limited edition" of version 5.0 - and it's far, far, FAR more reliable on the G4 than on our 2-year-old XP box, despite the G4 running 9.1 with a wimpy 128 meg ram!
The main reason for upgrading the HDD was to make it more practical for games and MP3s - via iTunes 2! It won't play AAC, but it plays MP3s fine. She has at least 8 Gig of music - too much for a 10G drive! (Even half of it leaves precious little expansion room)
I'm watching for a "small" HDD - it seems that our local Fry's is no longer selling anything smaller than 100G - which was $100! Or perhaps they were just sold out at the time. I'll keep an eye out for another sale. In fact, asking my friend for an old drive is a good idea. They have parts from at least a dozen old windows and linux boxes floating around - so they likely have a drive or two. If it's a used HDD, loaded with Windows (probably 95-2000), will it confuse the system before re-formatting?
As per RAM:
I'm quite aware of the lack of RAM. However, I'll have to watch for sales! I'm not aware of any "Mom and Pop" stores close by, although that's a fantastic idea. A PC 133 128 MB card runs $40-50 at the local computer stores, but only $15 at OWC! Therefore, if I don't find suitable RAM locally, I'll order some. I wouldn't mind an extra 256 (or 512) for my iMac either.
Speaking of iMac - I've determined that it's the iMac DV Special ED from March 2000. (400mhz, originally 13 Gig Drive - now 60, 9.2.2) The question is whether or not it maxes out at 512 MB or 1 GB of RAM. One of the Apple support sites I found ( http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58007 ) said that the slot loading iMacs max out at 512. It makes no distinction between any slot loading iMac. However at http://www.lowendmac.com/imacs/dvse.shtml, it mentions that this model specifically can accept 1 gig of RAM. I'll assume that the Apple article is correct, but I'd love to get a full 650 MB if I can! (I'd love to add a 512 to the 128 I have now)
It's amazing, really - after 4 years of constant use, a hard drive motor failure (hence the 60G HDD), and a year and a half burried on a desk, the iMac is becoming more handy by the day. It's good at capturing the Video and audio from say, Halo, while my PB's too busy to run anything else (via S-Video and audio through our DV cam). It makes a great DVD player, an iTunes Jukebox, and game machine - most of my games are still OS 9. To top it off, it makes a great wireless base-station for my Nintendo DS at school, where there's no WiFi! With 30 gig of space left on the HDD, it has plenty of room for whatever I want to do with it. Guess you can "teach and old dog new tricks!'
Well, I guess this means my question is answered for now - once I find the things I need, i may have some more questions, Thanks again!
-Dan

IMac RAM upgrade: 2+2+8+0 Is it possible?

Hi all,
I would like to upgrade my iMac mid 2011 (21.5" - iMac 12,1), adding a module of 8GB of RAM to the original configuration (2+2).
I've been searching for a similar case here but I had no luck. All the questions I found were about adding a couple of modules, but my intention is to leave a free slot just in case I need it in the future for 8 GB more. Otherwise I would have to remove the original 2+2 modules, loosing them in the final configuration (4+4+4+4 instead of 2+2+8+8).
Is that possible? Theoretically, reading this Apple support entry memory modules should be of the nonparity type, so leaving one empty slot, we will lose the dual channel feature, but it should work fine, right?
Furthermore, if I install a 1600MHz memory module instead of the 1333MHz type that Apple specifies, would there be any problem? (I asume that, if I finally instal another 8GB module, it should be exactly the same type, so both should be 1600MHz modules)
Thank you so much in advance,
JC

You have an iMac. There are no modules with heat sinks for your computer. That would be for Mac Pros.
The performance issue is dependent upon what you are doing. When a task involves the use of memory, predominantly, then dual-channel can bring a substantial increase in memory performance. But not for everything.
As for the speed. There are substantial differences in 1600 and 1333 MHz modules that can affect whether they will even work.
Your iMac uses the same type of DIMM as laptops use. They are 204 pin SO-DIMMS, DDR3.
Look for the proper product at:
OWC
DataMem
Crucial.com

Macbook C2D late 2006 RAM upgrade question.

Hello everyone,
I have a late 2006 Macbook and am planning to upgrade the RAM from 2GB to 4GB.
From what I understand, my motherboard only supports 3GB, and I'm ok with that.
My question is:
Because 1GB will be left unused, will the OS use any of the extra GB towards my Intel GMA 950 GPU's 64MB of shared memory?
I know the machine performs better graphically with with 4GB of RAM rather than 3, I was wondering if that extra GB of RAM is just used my my GPU rather than by the computer?
Like, will I get more then 64MB of shared RAM?
Thanks for reading, and I hope someone here has the same configuration as me, has added the 4GB, and could tell me if there is any GPU upgrade with the 4GB.

Aaron Lowe wrote:
Because 1GB will be left unused, will the OS use any of the extra GB towards my Intel GMA 950 GPU's 64MB of shared memory?
No, the GMA 950 shares the 3 GB. Some have reported after testing that the MacBook is actually using 3.3 GB.
I know the machine performs better graphically with with 4GB of RAM rather than 3, I was wondering if that extra GB of RAM is just used my my GPU rather than by the computer?
Like, will I get more then 64MB of shared RAM?
This is from the specs.
+Memory available to Mac OS X may vary depending on graphics needs. Minimum graphics memory usage is 80MB, resulting in 944MB of system memory available on 1GB configurations.+
The 64MB is a baseline because of the GMA 950 spec. The MacBook actualluy uses more and more is assigned as needed by the graphics.

Early 2008 24" imac ram upgrade issues

Hi everyone. Hope you guys can help diagnose a problem I have with my imac.
It's an early 2008 24" imac with 3.06 Ghz processor and an NVIDIA Geforce 8800 GS 512 graphics card.
After buying Empire: Total War I thought it best to upgrade the 2GB RAM to 4GB, and purchased 2x2GB sticks 800 Mhz 6400 DDR2 SDRAM.
When they arrived I put them in and the system booted up normally. I could surf the net ok, but when it came to watching a video on youtube full screen, or playing a game, it would cope for 30secs-1min and then the spinning coloured wheel would show. I'd then hear noises that sound like a cd trying to eject then the system would hang. One of three things would then happen:
- it would automatically reboot showing the multi-lingual startup message that the system was not shut down properly
- a grey blank screen would appear and not change
- the grey start up screen would appear with the Apple logo and spinning circle, which would then stop spinning and not change.
If I manually rebooted I just get a black screen and can only hear the fans softly spinning.
I've tried swapping the ram sticks but get the same as above. It will boot and work normally with either one of the 2GB ram sticks installed on it's own. It will also work normally with the original 2x1GB sticks installed again.
I don't get the 3 beep warning at startup.
Any thoughts on why this might be happening? Would the graphics card be the reason for this issue?
I'm not sure if these are related but a few weeks ago I noticed that the brightness would randomly change from normal to half-brightness then back to normal. These would change every few minutes or so and isn't dependent on what programmes I have running.
I've also recently noticed that the top and back of the imac is getting quite warm to the touch and no don't leave the system running when not in use.

Hello,
Have you blown the dust out lately?
Get Temperature Monitor to see if it's heat related...
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12381/temperature-monitor
iStat Menus...
http://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/
And/or iStat Pro...
http://www.islayer.com/apps/istatpro/
EDIT: you won't find iStat Pro at BDAqua's link any longer. (No longer supported by the developer, and not completely compatible with Mountain Lion, but most of its features should still be working.) It's here
https://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/status/istatpro.html
Do you have a link to the exact RAM you bought?
That grapics card is known to be a problem, but the brightness issue seems more like the Backlight or Inverter.

M2N68-LA (Narra 5) Ram upgrade question

I hope someone can help me here; anyways, to start out with, the M2N68-LA motherboard has a Phenom II X4 945 cpu and 4GB of PNY optimima pc2-6400 running at 1.8 volts on a Win 7 64 bit OS. What I would like to do is upgrade the Ram to 8GB of Patroit ram (2x4gb). Would this be possible on this type of board? If not, what is the max voltage the motherboard can handle because PNY also has 4GB of XLR8 ram with CAS4 @ 2.0 volts that I would to get incase the Patroit can't be used.
Thanks ahead of time
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi:
No, the board will only accept maximum RAM chips of 2 GB, and there are only 2 slots.
What HP is referring to is that a 32 bit OS will not be able to utilize all 4 GB of memory. I am not so sure a 64 bit OS would either on a PC that can only support a max of 4GB. No matter what, some memory is reserved for system hardware.
Paul

MS-6738 (KM2M Combo-L) RAM Upgrade Question

Hi
I have the MS-6738 (KM2M Combo-L) Motherboard. At the moment it is running 512mb of RAM and I would like to upgrade to 1gig.
I do not know the make of the RAM in place at the moment because it was there when I bought the PC, but Aida tells me this:
FSB - Real Clock 133mhz
- Effective Clock 267mhz
Same goes for the RAM, 133 and 267.
I have read into the gambles involved in mixing RAM makes, etc, but I am prepared to take this gamble (first and maybe only time!) but according to http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.asp?Mfr%2BProductline=MSI+%28Micro+Star%29%2B+Motherboards&mfr=MSI+%28Micro+Star%29&cat=&model=MS-6738+%28KM2M+Combo-L%29&submit=Go the board is compatible with DDR PC2100 and DDR PC2700, yet it reccomends (actually GUARANTEES) that the Ballistix DDR PC400 will work. Is this correct?
What do you consider the best option to be for an upgrade. I can either get another 512 of the same speed (DDR PC2100??), or if it will effectively run DDR PC3200/400 then I will go for 1gig of that instead (Athalon XP 2000+). Please let me know what you think.
Thanks in advance for any useful posts!

Thanks for your replies so far.
I have read that this board suffers from problems when running more than one stick of RAM, as such I am tempted to just take out the old 512 stick and replace it with a single 1gig stick.
The bigger question I have is whether going for a higher speed of RAM (like available and guaranteed to work on Crucial), say DDR PC3200 would have any significant effect on system performance (World of Warcraft is a major RAM hog).
The RAM prices are as follows:
1GB — CT12864Z335 DDR PC2700 CL=2.5 NON-ECC UNBUFFERED £117.99 ex. VAT (ea.) £138.64 inc. VAT* (ea.)
1GB — CT12864Z265 DDR PC2100 NON-ECC UNBUFFERED £125.99 ex. VAT (ea.) £148.04 inc. VAT* (ea.)
1GB — CT12864Z40B DDR PC3200 CL=3 NON-ECC UNBUFFERED £133.99 ex. VAT (ea.) £157.44 inc. VAT* (ea.)
As you can see the PC2700 is cheapest, but the original mobo spec states DDR PC2100 as the highest (although the official site just says 184 pin no max speed was quoted).
Therein lies my question, would there be any point in spending the extra £20 on PC3200 when the system FSB is only 133mhz?

RAM upgrade question

When I ordered my laptop a few years ago it came with 4gb RAM standard, but you could upgrade to 6GB up to a max of 8GB. I bought it with 6GB. I want to upgrade to 8GB, and I know there are 2 RAM slots in the laptop. My questions is, did they use a 6gb stick in one of the slots or did they use a 4gb in one and a 2g in the other? Im hoping to get an answer so I dont have to open it up and look for myself. I dont know if I should order a 2gb or a 4gb stick to get it up to 8gb. With that being said, does anyone know if HP would put in a 6gb stick or run a 4gb and 2gb together? Im assuming they put in a single 6gb and I would just need to buy a 2bg upgrade. Thanks Also, would it run better if I just replaced all of it and got one stick of 8gb RAM?

Welcome to the forum!
Yes, you can add 1Gb of PC2700 RAM to the empty slot in your machine, and it will work just fine.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
George
In daily use: R60F, R500F, T61, T410
Collecting dust: T60
Enjoying retirement: A31p, T42p,
Non-ThinkPads: Panasonic CF-31 & CF-52, HP 8760W
Starting Thursday, 08/14/2014 I'll be away from the forums until further notice. Please do NOT send private messages since I won't be able to read them. Thank you.

New Mac Mini just ordered - Ram upgrade questions

A quick Google troll shows that there may be a firmware upgrade that will indeed allow the mac mini to support 8 GB of ram.
Having sucessfully put Ram in other minis - i'm not too worried about the install, but I have a few questions:
1. Anyone tried this successfully.
2. Early reports of some of the trials of this showed performance problems, likely related to the firmware limitations on the machine.
3. Ram manufacturer?
I'm not too inclined to do this with my new machine unless I can get some real world feedback.

The information that I have seen is that it requires both the firmware update and Snow Leopard. Newer Technology tried 8 GB of RAM after the firmware update but while running Leopard and reported terrible performance, worse than with 4 GB. They tried it again after Snow Leopard was released and report that there are not any issues. So they now sell an 8 GB upgrade kit.
Dah•veed

IMac RAM upgrade questions

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