Will installing more RAM help my iMac run faster?

My Mac is circa 2006 and it is performing very slow.  Let's say I see the beach ball way more that I should.
I have 2 GB's of RAM installed.  Of the 2 GB's of RAM, its looks like I have used 1.75 GB's.  I have 92 GB's of hard drive space available out of 320.    So, my question is, if I install say, 4 GB's of RAM, will my system run faster? 
Jay

An Early 2006 Core Duo only supports 2GB of Ram. If you have a Late 2006 Core 2 Duo 20 or 24" it will take 4GB, but only recognize and use 3GB.

Similar Messages

  • Will adding more Ram  help?

    My iMac is 2010. Over the last 3 - 4 months its started to slow down a bit. I  realize sometimes thats just the way things are but I am wondering if there is anything I can do to help. It seems that everything is a bit slow on startup/wakeup. It takes about 5-10 seconds for things to get rolling, that doesn't bother me that much, I can handle it, just pointing out that is different from 3-4 months ago. Once things get rolling its fine.
    iPhoto on occasion slows down, but again for the most part its ok. It's iMovie that really seems to lag. I realize of the things I am using iMovie is probably the most "powerful" program I am using , dealing with all the video files, but it has become very tedious to use. I've tried to "clean up" things a bit and that doesn't seem to really be helping. I am wondering if adding more RAM would help. Currently I have 4 slots filled with 2 GB of Ram. I think thinking of upgrading 2 of those to 4GB.
    I guess I am wondering if that would make a difference? I know in theory adding more "juice" will make things run faster but for the most part the computer does run ok on its own, its iMovie that lags. It it simplky because its a more powerful program and adding more juice will help. Or do we think something else is going on?
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    Any thoughts?

    When you have the problem, note the exact time: hour, minute, second.
    If you have more than one user account, these instructions must be carried out as an administrator.
    Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:
    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
    ☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.
    Make sure the title of the Console window is All Messages. If it isn't, select All Messages from the SYSTEM LOG QUERIES menu on the left. If you don't see that menu, select
    View ▹ Show Log List
    from the menu bar.
    Each message in the log begins with the date and time when it was entered. Scroll back to the time you noted above. Select the messages entered from then until the end of the episode, or until they start to repeat, whichever comes first. Copy the messages to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message (command-V).
    The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of it useless for solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. In most cases, a few dozen lines are more than enough. It is never necessary or helpful to post more than about 100 lines. "The more, the better" is not the rule here.
    Please do not indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.
    Important: Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

  • Will Installing more RAM improve performanc​e, IF laptop has "available memory" not being used?

    My laptop has 2x 1GB of RAM.
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    A matched set of DDR2 ram will perform a lot faster one memory not matched. Its required for the double data rate to work. Hence 2+2 is the max you'd need/want in a 32bit machine. Windows 7 was built for large memory footprints. XP was built to run just barely in 64MB but really needed a min of 128MB to support a network connection and printing. It was never enable to truely go a whole lot further than a few machines built capable of 1GB. There was even a bug which was patch causing problems if a !GB or more was available. Just because it can see it does not mean it actually uses it !! The kernal by default is swapped in/out of ram even in larger memory systems. Why, it was is not aware of the extra memory and does not change its behavour from a 512MB machine.
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  • Installing more RAM into my Macbok Pro

    Hey guys,
    I'm looking to install more RAM (from 2 Gb to 4 Gb) into my MacBook Pro (15.4" Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 Ghz) that I bought last September, and I'm strictly a software guy: I know little to nothing about hardware.
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    Also, I have the AppleCare protection plan. Will installing more RAM interfere with that at all? Do I need to have a Genius install it for me?
    I've installed a RAM, hard drives, and video cards before so I know I can do it myself if I'm allowed to by the plan.
    Thanks,
    - Keith

    Open your computer's User Guide. There's a whole chapter on upgrading memory in which the specifications are explained. If you don't have the manual you can download a PDF version from http://www.apple.com/support/manuals/.
    Installing RAM will not void the warranty unless you cause damage in the process.

  • I have Lightroom 3 and have installed it on my Retina iMac running Yosemite. It will not show me any of the modules..error when attempting to change modules.. and keeps asking for my serial number every time. Is it compatible?

    I have Lightroom 3 and have installed it on my Retina iMac running Yosemite. It will not show me any of the modules..error when attempting to change modules.. and keeps asking for my serial number every time. Is it compatible?
    David

    This is a duplicate thread - see here

  • Can users install more RAM on the new 21.5 iMacs?

    Can a user upgrade and install more RAM on the new 21.5 iMacs?

    butcherbird190 wrote:
    This page says it is configurable to 16GB. Mac (21.5-inch, Mid 2014) - Technical Specifications
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  • Instructions how to install more RAM Intel iMac 17"

    Does anyone know where i can find instructions on how to install more RAM? Preferably with illustrations.
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    It´s supposed to be a phillips 2 screwdriver. It may also be difficult to open the lid if the screwdriver is too sharp. In Sweden we don´t usually call it by that name. If I only had read my swedish owner´s manual I would have knewn, or if I just had looked at the bottom of the computer before I purchased a phillips 0 screwdriver. That screwdriver might be useful in other situations and was quite cheap though.

  • Debating whether or not to install more RAM????

    Hi I have a macbook late 2010. I currently have 2.4 GHz and 2 gb of ram. I'm debating whether or not I should buy and install more RAM. I was thinking I would either buy 2x4 or 2x8. Would this be a worth it upgrade. My only other option would be waiting another year, and buying a macbook pro then. Also is it even possibile to upgrade RAM on macbook? Any help would be appreciated, and please back up your answers.

    You're welcome. Based on your usage, your OSX, and the relative prices, I would go with 8 (2 x 4 GB) modules. This won't make your machine faster in a traditional sense...rather, it will prevent it from being slow...as it is now with extensive page outs. I would recommend purchasing the RAM from Crucial or OWC (both companies test  RAM extensively, are very reuptable, and provide 1 year warranty included).
    There is no late-2010 MBP 2.4 GHz model. Confirm RAM compatibility at crucial using their scanner tool:
    Scan your system to view your specific system configuration.
    You can confirm here as well:
    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/index-macbookpro.html
    Here are installation instructions:
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    Best.

  • What do I gain by installing more ram ?

    Hi !
    I would like to know what are the advantages of installing more ram on my powerbook ? Would installing an additionnal 512 mb ram or 1gb ram speed up the idvd compression to dvd ? More generally while I gain performance on game graphics or video compression ( which takes quite a long time on a powerbook )?
    thank you

    Hi Yanis,
    No performance gain in graphics speed, no, but
    a smoother and quicker computer use in everything that uses "hard disk accessing" while running a task.
    Simplistic answer:
    The more RAM is available, the less tasks need to use Virtual Memory.
    And RAM is much faster than VM, too.
    If you often hear that your work uses hard disk accessing, then you'll be happy with extra RAM.
    Axl

  • Will adding more RAM to my Power Mac G5 make a difference?

    I have a Power Mac G5 (Late 2005) with 1 GB of RAM, which is how I ordered it. Sometimes when I am viewing large (large viewing size) video files with Quicktime, the video files get a little choppy from time to time, especially when I have many other applications open. Will adding more RAM fix this or is it not really necessary? Also, does Leopard improve this problem? I am currently using Tiger.

    Hey Tim
    I'm definitely not an expert - but more Ram makes a huge difference. I'm not sure if more Ram will specifically solve your Quicktime issues or whether upgrading your graphic card is really the answer. Those more knowledgeable should jump in here. Buying Ram from 3rd parties, like OWC (making sure you do have the right compatible Ram), will improve your performance immediately. I noticed the difference when maximizing the RAm on my G4. It cannot hurt. 4GB of Ram for my G5 cost less than $200. I think Ram is the biggest bang for the buck.
    Do you really need to get Leopard? The performance of Tiger on the G5 for me is solid. Seems like Tiger is optimized at this point for the G5 processor chips. Why muck around with all the potential problems you read about on these forums. Check out the Adobe forum and hear some of their nightmare stories. Who has this amount of time to waste on fixing what shouldn't need fixing in the first place. Just a thought - hope I'm not out of line for chiming in on this.
    Since your model can take 8GB of Ram, indulge yourself and maybe buy another 4GB of matched Ram and if it doesn't solve your Quicktime issues, I'll bet it will make you happy with everything else.
    Mike

  • Installing more RAM?

    How would one go about installing more RAM on a Macbook Pro 15.4 2008?
    TIA

    Kappy wrote:
    Visit OWC where you can purchase RAM specifically for your machine and find installation tutorials as well.
    You can install:
    Maximum Memory
    8.0 GB (Actual) 4.0 GB (Apple)
    Memory Slots
    2 - 204-pin PC3-8500 (1066 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM
    Im sorry for bombarding you with a bunch of questions.... but how much should a person be paying for ram. I noticed on the Apple site they have 4GB RAM for 100.00 but then you look else where and it 16.95 and up..... I am so confused.....

  • The fan on my imac runs fast and doesn't stop.

    The fan on my imac runs fast and doesn't stop. I have to shut down the computer to get it to stop.
    Why is it doing that and how do i stop it?

    Reset the SMC using the directions below:
    SMC RESET
    Shut down the computer.
    Unplug the computer's power cord and all peripherals.
    Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
    Release the power button.
    Attach the computers power cable.
    Press the power button to turn on the computer.
    PRAM RESET
    Shut down the computer.
    Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
    Turn on the computer.
    Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
    Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
    Release the keys.

  • Can't install more RAM, what will help?

    OK need a bit of help.
    My elderly iMac has been a bit problematic lately, spinning beach balls, laggy, that chuggy noise which I always think is Spotlight indexing... (can't think of a more technical way to describe it!). I've just nosed around and saw a thread saying take a look in Activity Monitor at System Momory. This is what mine shows.
    The thread I looked at kept saying 'are there a lot of pageouts, without actually defining what 'A lot' of page outs were! Nosed a bit more and think I may have too many page outs?
    Now, thing is, I'm maxed out on RAM, in fact this machine should only take 4GB but I  managed to get it to accept 6MB, after doing some research and finding it was possible. So, I can't install any more RAM. Am also on Mountain Lion.
    I have to trundle on with this Mac for a while longer. What can I do to improve my page outs and general speed of machine? Is it purely not having lots of applications open at once? I'm a designer so have CS6 installed, and use InDesign, Illust. and Photoshop. Is there anything I can do to get a bit more life out of this trusty warrior? Everything else on it works just fine.
    I'm not 100% techie, but can usually sort out my  mac problems if someone explains clearly!
    Spec of iMac: Alu 2.8GHz C2D 6GB SDRAM (should only take 4GB SDRAM but found out that it can take 6) 1TB HD

    There is excessive swapping of data between physical memory and virtual memory. That can happen for two reasons:
    You have a long-running process with a memory leak (i.e., a bug), or
    You don't have enough memory installed for your usage pattern.
    Tracking down a memory leak can be difficult, and it may come down to a process of elimination.
    When you notice the swap activity, open the Activity Monitor application and select All Processes from the menu in the toolbar, if not already selected. Click the heading of the Real Mem column in the process table twice to sort the table with the highest value at the top. If you don't see that column, select
    View ▹ Columns ▹ Real Memory
    from the menu bar.
    If one process (excluding "kernel_task") is using much more memory than all the others, that could be an indication of a leak. A better indication would be a process that continually grabs more and more real memory over time without ever releasing it. Here is an example of how it's done.
    The process named "Safari Web Content" renders web pages for Safari and other applications. It uses a lot of memory and may leak if certain Safari extensions or third-party web plugins are installed. Consider it a prime suspect.
    Another process often implicated in memory leaks is "inkjet8," which is a component of the HP printing softwre. If it's present, force-quit the process in Activity Monitor to solve the problem temporarily. If you don't use an HP printer, remove the software. Otherwise, if the problem is recurrent, update the software (which may not help) or contact HP support.
    If you don't have an obvious memory leak, your options are to install more memory (if possible) or to run fewer programs simultaneously.
    The next suggestion is only for users familiar with the shell. For a more precise, but potentially misleading, test, run the following command: 
    sudo leaks -nocontext -nostacks process | grep total
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  • Running Windows XP on my Mac. Would more RAM help?

    Unfortunately I need to run XP on my Mac and Im using a parallel, VMware fusion.
    However most of the time my Mac crashes or, if doesn't crash, it works VERY slow.
    I was thinking to buy more RAM (I have 2GB), would that help?
    Thanks
    B

    It depends mostly upon how much RAM you have allocated to your VM and the amount of RAM the VM software requires. Only one VM application should be used, either Parallels or VM Fusion. Trying to use both will require too much RAM for what you have installed in your computer. It's also critical that you have the most recent version of OS X required by the version of Parallels or VM Fusion that you have installed.
    The VM software can require over 1 GB of RAM when running the installed VM assuming you have allocated the minimal RAM needed for the version of Windows you are using. So a system with 2 GBs of RAM is obviously stretching the RAM resource pretty thin. If your particular Mac supports more RAM, then it would be a good idea to install more.
    If your MacBook is a Core Duo model, then 2 GBs is the maximum you can install. If you have a Core2Duo model then 3 GBs would be the maximum based on the information you have provided regarding the version of OS X that's installed. Open System Profiler in your Utilities folder and look at the machine ID listed. If it's 1,1 then you have a Core Duo. If it's 2,1 then it's a Core2Duo.

  • Will more RAM help handle large Excel files?

    Hi everyone,
    I know this message may be better suited to the Office for Mac Forums website, but the site hasn’t been able to validate me as a new user so far (it's been weeks of trying!), and I’m therefore unable to ask a question. So I have to resort to annoying you here.
    I run Excel 2008 (12.1.7) on a 8-core Mac Pro (early 2008) with 6 Gb of RAM (OS 10.5.6). I encounter a lot of problems working with big files, such as a 385 Mb file comprised of over 600,000 row and 50 columns of mostly data (only a few columns are filled with simple formulas).
    After loading the file (which took quite a while), the Activity Monitor indicated that Excel was using 1.12 Gb of Real memory an 2.11 Gb of Virtual, while 3.66 Gb of RAM was free. When I then attempted to create a PivotTable with this data, the amount of memory used by Excel gradually rose to 1.94 Gb of Real an 2.93 Gb of Virtual (2.85 Gb of Free memory was still available) while reading the data. At this point I then got a message stating that there’s not enough memory. I had to resort to breaking the file up into smaller ones to analyze the data, which is quite annoying.
    I was told that being a 32-bit application, Excel 2008 was limited to handling 4 Gb of RAM. But I thought that 4 Gb being way more than the size of the file on disk, and having 6 Gb of RAM on my machine, I shouldn’t have any problem working with it. Obviously I was wrong. Can someone please clarify what’s going on here? Would more RAM significantly help?
    Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

    Yes, I bet the Windows version of Excel is better. I think it’s definitely time to try it.
    When you say “having 8 DIMMs”, do you mean filling up the 8 memory slots, or having 8 Gb? I believe I remember seeing that 10 Gb was the sweet spot, with all 8 memory slots occupied. Is that right? And what brand of RAM do you like currently, still OWC?
    Thank you Hatter.

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