Upgrade RAM or Separate Video Card

I'm looking to buy a 21.5" iMac.  I do some photo editing with photoshop elements and iphoto.  I also use iMovie but don't do intense graphics or video work.
So I have two considerations:
1. Should I purchase the iMac with a separate NVIDIA graphics card?
2. Should I upgrade to 16GB of RAM
Doing both would be a bit too expensive so I need to know if the base model will likely be fine for me or if I should consider upgrading the ram or video card.
Thoughts?

Can I ask what you determine the difference to be between professional use and home movie use?  I once made a home movie that was over an hour long.
Basically I would like to purchase a new 15" MacBook Pro and am wondering if I should get the more expensive one with the Nvidia Graphics Card or without.  I like to do a lot of video editing on iMovie and have thousands and thousands of photos on iPhoto that I like to edit.
Do I need the Nvidia graphics card or should I get the standard 15" model and up the memory/processor/hard drive?
Thank you!

Similar Messages

  • Is it possible to upgrade a Powerbook's video card?

    I presently have a 1.33GHz Powerbook G4 with an ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 / 64MB VRAM. Is there any way to upgrade my video card? I just bought Aperture, and after two days of testing, the performance would allow one to play with Aperture, but its just too slow and chunky to use for productivity.
    However, in discussions with someone that has another Powerbook config, it appears that his ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 / 128MB VRAM is working out just fine with Aperture and runs smoothly.
    Is there any possible way to upgrade my Powerbook's video card? About 6 months ago I called AppleCare support and asked about this for a different reason and they told me I had to buy a new Powerbook if I wanted to new video card. Are there other options available now?
    Thanks,
    Brad

    Ok, then is it possible to upgrade the MLB to a board with a faster graphics chip?

  • HP Pavilion DV2716ca - Reduce the amout of RAM allocated for video card

    Hello,
    Is there a way to reduce the amout of RAM allocated for video card?I don't play games so only 16-32Mb should be more than enough
    I have 4Gb of RAM and only 2.99 are available. I know that for a 32bit OS only 3.4-3.6Gb are available.
    Thanks,
    Adrian

    Hi @adrian_d ,
    Thank you for visiting the HP Support Forums and Welcome. I have looked into your issue about your HP Pavilion dv2716ca Entertainment Notebook and wanted to reduce the amount of Ram allocated to your video card. I do not recommend this as this could cause overheating or overworking the card. Here is a link that might help with performance issues.
    Hope this helps.
    Thanks.
    Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
    Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom to say “Thanks” for helping!

  • I want to upgrade my Mac Pro video card. I am using a mac quad core 2.7 GHz 8 megs of ram and an ATI Radeon 3870. Where do I start?

    I am using a mac pro with a 2.7 GHz processor 8 gigs of ram and a Radeon HD 3870 video card with 512 megs of vram.
    I want to upgrade to 1 gig of vram if possible.
    Can anyone tell me where I can begin looking, what brand to buy, and what options I have?
    I want to be able to use the Element 3D plug in After Effects.
    Also, would I need to upgrade my operating system?
    Thanks,
    Faucheux

    Shop for them at the Apple Online Store. I would suggest the ATI 5770 or 5870 or one of the new Nvidia GTX models - 650 Ti, 660, or 680.
    Note that unless your Mac Pro has PCIe 2.0 slots you should stick with the ATI 5770.

  • How or Can I upgrade my laptop's video card?

    is it possible? First of all I don't know if my laptop video card is intergrated, i heard if it is, you cant upgrade...here are my specs for my Toshiba Satelite L675D
    AMD Phenom™ II dual-core processor N640*
    4GB DDR3 memory
    500GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
    ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 graphics
    Windows 7
    Processor Platform VISION Premium
    Video Memory256-1917MB (dynamically allocated shared)
    thank you..and if it is upgradable..can you please tell me a good graphics card that can probably run Starcraft 2 on high maybe ultra? something i can buy from best buy or wal mart, not online...thanks

    dgaul99 wrote:
    My computer specs are the following
    Processor*
    Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T6600
    Operating System* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)*
    Graphics Engine* Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
    Graphics Memory* 128MB-1759MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
    But in my specs it says that i have one free PCI-E slot.  I have no idea how to access it nor do i have any intention. (I'm very un-tech savy )  Anyway, is there anyway i could have someone that knows there way around a computer open it up and see if its possible to add another graphics card?  Or would i be better off just getting a High-Def monitor (this is an option)?
    See above - if you have a laptop, then it is almost guaranteed that you cannot upgrade the graphics.  It is 100% guaranteed in the case of laptops with Intel integrated graphics, which you have.
    I have no idea why a laptop would advertise a PCI-e slot - Perhaps it has a Mini-PCIe slot that a mobile broadband card can be installed into?  Or do you mean the ExpressCard expansion slot?
    If you don't have a laptop and instead have a desktop, you probably should have posted a new thread rather than to a laptop thread to avoid confusion.
    *disclaimer* I am not now, nor have I ever been, an employee of Best Buy, Geek Squad, nor of any of their affiliate, parent, or subsidiary companies.

  • Can i upgrade my laptop notebook video card?

    my laptop is HP Pavilion dm1 Notebook pc can i upgrade it's videocard so i can enjoy more HD games i'm dissapointed it can't play smoothly on new games such as nba 2k15 and nfs rivals its processor name is AMD E2-1800 AOU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics thanks a lot Godbless

    Hi,
    Unfortunately no, we can't change video card on nearly all laptops including yours.
    Regards.
    BH
    **Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
    Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

  • Upgrading your M92p's video card.

    Hello all,
    ** This is for informational purposes only.  What you do to you own computer is at your own risk. **
    First a power supply upgrade.  This is repeated from a previous thread.
    https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/107213474324338893681/albums/5923736771318853729
    Here is the finished video card upgrade.  I chose to use a Nvidia Geforce GTX 660 by Zotac, and it works very nicely.  Comments are in the photos at the link.
    https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/107213474324338893681/albums/5927768961291639873
    -Dutch

    The video on the eMac, mini(PPC), Macbook Pro, iMac is a single chip soldered onto the Logic board and so is not upgradeable (changeable) if you could unsolder it without damaging the logic board then you would have to find a video chip that :
    1/ is the same size
    2/ has the number of connections (legs)
    3/ is the same pin out
    4/ has apple drivers !
    Good luck.
    custom mini

  • Upgrading my iMac's video card

    I have a 24" 2.33Ghz 2nd generation(?) intel iMac and I'm wondering if I can have apple upgrade my Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT 256mb video card. I've been told by someone that this isn't possible, but I'm curious why not? My last card was recently replaced when my display wouldn't come on, so clearly the exactly card can be switched out, but why would Apple be unwilling/unable to upgrade my card?
    Message was edited by: Michael Streubert

    The video on the eMac, mini(PPC), Macbook Pro, iMac is a single chip soldered onto the Logic board and so is not upgradeable (changeable) if you could unsolder it without damaging the logic board then you would have to find a video chip that :
    1/ is the same size
    2/ has the number of connections (legs)
    3/ is the same pin out
    4/ has apple drivers !
    Good luck.
    custom mini

  • Upgrading Mac Pro (Rev1) Video card to 8800GT - Win XP OK?

    Hi all,
    I have a Rev1 Mac Pro with the ATI X1900 graphics card. I'd like to order the Apple upgrade to the Nvidia 8800GT for better performance running games in Windows.
    Currently, I have an XP SP3 Boot Camp partition. I've read some posts about problems users have had with the 8800 upgrade under XP.
    Can anyone confirm that the 8800 upgrade will work under XP, or if I should switch to Vista? I'm anticipating sticking with DX9 unless that would make a difference in terms of compatibility.
    Thanks for any advice!

    You can use any PC card for Windows only. I know there were problems in the past with XP drivers, but don't know if that is still true today (I'd be surprised, it is after all basically G92 series card, which is very common).
    Personally, I think Vista 64-bit just makes more sense with Mac Pro at this point, more RAM, dual cpu, and it isn't like you don't have the power to run or that they would run poorly on that hardware.
    Might give you some ideas games on Mac Pro running Vista:
    http://www.barefeats.com/harper11.html
    http://www.google.com/search?q=Nvidia8800GT+XP+driverproblem

  • A question about Video Cards

    Is it possible to upgrade Ram on a video card (from 256MB to 512MB) or would you have to get a new one? Are the video cards set for so much RAM and can't be upgraded unless it has bad RAM that needs to be replaced? I was just wondering. I'm thinking about upgrading someday and just want to be sure I'm going to get the best results for what I need. Thanks for any info.

    No, your best bet is to take out your current video card and sell it. The vRAM on a GPU is hard-wired hence you can only replace the entire card. It's too bad that the technology industries don't consider the ability to upgrade their products when designing them ... think of how great this would be for our environment. It would also be cheaper for everyone: consumers and manufacturers. At least the graphics card isn't integral with your logic board!

  • PSU and Video card upgrade for HP e9280t

    Hello, I wanted to upgrade my PSU and video card. The PSU I would like to get is the SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151096&Tpk=17-151-096) but I wasn't sure if my computer could handle and hold the PSU. The video card I would like to get is the EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604) but im not sure if my computer can handle this too. I have a HP Pavilion Elite e9280t CTO Desktop PC (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=4066665) can someone please tell me if I can upgrade to the PSU and Video card?

    Stuart, welcome to the forum.
    The truth is, any video card that will run properly with the 300W PSU in the computer, will not be much better than the integrated video.  Most newer mid-level cards require a PSU with a minimum of 400W watts.  I have searched for other members many times without any luck.  If you want to upgrade the PSU, it will give you far more options.
    Please click "KUDOS" if I have helped you and click "Accept as Solution" if your problem is solved.
    Signature:
    HP TouchPad - 1.2 GHz; 1 GB memory; 32 GB storage; WebOS/CyanogenMod 11(Kit Kat)
    HP 10 Plus; Android-Kit Kat; 1.0 GHz Allwinner A31 ARM Cortex A7 Quad Core Processor ; 2GB RAM Memory Long: 2 GB DDR3L SDRAM (1600MHz); 16GB disable eMMC 16GB v4.51
    HP Omen; i7-4710QH; 8 GB memory; 256 GB San Disk SSD; Win 8.1
    HP Photosmart 7520 AIO
    ++++++++++++++++++
    **Click the Thumbs Up+ to say 'Thanks' and the 'Accept as Solution' if I have solved your problem.**
    Intelligence is God given; Wisdom is the sum of our mistakes!
    I am not an HP employee.

  • How can i allocate more RAM for my onboard video card on a 2011 macbook pro 13 inch running windows 7 via bootcamp

    I noticed that since Macbooks.. macs in general use an EFI instead of BIOS.  . .. Now i need to allocate some more RAM for the onboard video card since its currently running with an estimated 50mb.. I would like to increase this to 512  and cut the 3.95 down to 3.5 MB for the rest of the system ( allowing me to run more graphic intensive games and the such ... ) I know this could slow down the entire system.. ( i am aware of this ) and have gotten a 3rd party application to control and close out uneeded processes during gaming.. I just need more ram for my onboard video card.. Any help?

    You don't allocate more RAM towards your video card, you put more RAM into the machine and hopefully some machines will bump the CPU graphics RAM allocation up a little.
    The problem is you bought a integrated only graphics computer, if you want to 3D game you need a dedicated graphics computer with it's own or dedicated VRAM.
    If your this serious about 3D gaming, your on the wrong platform.
    Get a Windows 7 64bit i7 8GB RAM expandable 3D gaming tower with a good power supply and video card upgrade path, this way every few years you buy and stick in a new video card to play the latest games.
    Mac's are not gaming machines and never will be because they would last too long if we could upgrade them.
    http://www.cbscores.com/index.php?sort=ogl&order=desc

  • Graphics/Video Card [REPLACEMENT / UPGRADE] on HP Pavilion Desktop - Help

    I have the following:
    HP Pavilion Elite m9152p Desktop 
    Upgraded to Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (upgraded 11-2009)
    The video card seems to have gone out and I have tried the following:
    Reinstalling Operating system
    Uninstalled & Reinstalled & Rollback drivers
    Prior to the above attempts, no changes had been made to software or hardware only leading to the same result: The video seems to be fine and then it freezes and crashes and ultimately has to have a hard-restart at which point, the computer loads the onboard video/graphics.
    I need to purchase a replacement video/graphics card, but I am unsure what specs I need to be aware of or what my computer can handle as far as a replacement and maybe a possible upgrade (not necessary) - any help in this regard would be most appreciated.
    Thanks!
    This question was solved.
    View Solution.

    I think it is a good choice.
    The reviews seem positive for the most part including that the fan appears to be quiet.
    I don't know if your previous card had HDMI.
    When you install your new video card, it may disable your onboard audio due to the HDMI audio chip on the video card.
    If you do lose your onboard audio, after you install the video drivers, reboot the machine, go into the BIOS, find the onboard audio setting. It may be set to Auto or Disabled. Change the setting to Enabled. Save the setting where you made the change and again when you exit the BIOS.
    Upon reboot you will have your onboard audio back.
    Looking forward to hearing back from you.
    Paul

  • How to add more ram to video card

    Hello, to play a game I  need to have 1 GB of ram dedicated. I looked all over to find where I can allocate more ram, but I can't seem to find anything. Does anyone know how to allocate more ram to a video card? Is it possible? 
    My card is Intel HD Graphics 4600

    HPliker wrote:
    Hello, to play a game I  need to have 1 GB of ram dedicated. I looked all over to find where I can allocate more ram, but I can't seem to find anything. Does anyone know how to allocate more ram to a video card? Is it possible? 
    My card is Intel HD Graphics 4600
    You have shared RAM you don't have dedicated Video RAM that is shared with your regular Computer RAM.
    I am a Volunteer to help others on here-not a HP employee.
    Replies aren't online 24/7 because of Time Zone differences.
    Remember in this Day and Age of Computing the Internet is Knowledge at your fingertips if you choose understand it. -2015-

  • 2007 Aluminum Imac Video Card upgrade

    I asked this before but I think i didnt ask the question correct. I have a 2007 Aluminuim imac.
    I was curious if you could upgrade to the 8800 video card in the latest imac.
    Sorry I was confused.
    Tom

    Actually the answer is YES, GPU is not integrated on the motherboard, it is a removable standard MXM format GPU.
    Please check out this blog (scroll all the way to the bottom)
    http://www.amfiteatar.org/content/view/155/57/lang,en/
    A whole other issue is where to purchase an Apple compatible MXM GPU.

Maybe you are looking for

  • No data in Portal Report but have data in Bex Analyzer

    Hi experts, I have problem regarding portal reports. When you view the report using the bex analyzer, there is data. But when you view the report in the portal from iview, there is no data. Please help experts. Thanks

  • How to create NEW photo albums in Photo tab

    I managed to sync 56 pics from a folder on my PC and then when trying to upload another file with 60 pics the process will overwrite the previous 56 pics. Any help for how to pre-create a new album to avoid this problem? Thanks to the forum

  • SAP MDM Adapter not picking up files in Ready folder on MDM

    Hello Experts, We are sending master data from MDM 7.1 system via PI 7.1 system to SAP ECC system. The Sydnication from MDM system is automatic and the files are being syndicated successfully from MDM system and getting dumped in the Ready folder of

  • Missing first character in file upload

    We've developed a class called IfsManager which: 1) connects to iFS (using admin credentials) 2) checks to see if the user specified exists, and if not, creates the user specified user directory 3) creates the document (which is being uploaded from t

  • Outlook calendar synchronization does not delete

    Hi I am synchronizing my Outlook calendar with my N93 and it is generally working fine, but I am having one problem: If an appointment that has already been synchronized to the phone is later on deleted it will not be removed from the phone calendar