Will more memory increase my iMac performance ?

will more memory increase my iMac performance ?

Depends.
Adding RAM only makes it possible to run more programs concurrently.  It doesn't speed up the computer nor make games run faster.  What it can do is prevent the system from having to use disk-based VM when it runs out of RAM because you are trying to run too many applications concurrently or using applications that are extremely RAM dependent.  It will improve the performance of applications that run mostly in RAM or when loading programs.

Similar Messages

  • How do I get more memory on my IMAC .I have 1 GIG and to run LION you need 2 GIGS?

    How do I get more memory on my IMAC .I have 1 GIG and to run LION you need 2 GIGS?

    Depends on the Mac; what model and processor is it?
     > 'about this Mac' > 'more info'
    In the first section (hardware overview) post this info;
    Nothing below that is reqd, especially not the serial number.

  • How do i add more memory to my imac

    I need to add more memory to my imac and how do i go about it.

    Append the last three characters of the iMac's serial number to http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords= , load the page, and look up the required specifications and installation instructions.
    (100785)

  • How do I add more memory to my Imac, I only have 1GB of memory and need 2GB to download Yosemite!

    How do I add more memory to my Imac, I only have 1GB of memory and need 2GB to download Yosemite?

    Janet,
    This is why the question rkaufmann87 asked about your model is so important:
    [click chart to enlarge if needed]
    The list covers the early iMacs with Intel processors that shipped with either OS 10.4 or 10.5 and have only two RAM slots. As you can see, some have limits to what version of OSX you can install. If the step rkaufmann requests does not narrow down your model, you can do one more thing.
    While the "About this Mac" window is open, click the "More Info..." button at the bottom of that window to get this (assuming you are really running OS 10.5.8 as shown in your profile):
    The code I've indicated with the red arrow corresponds to the codes in the second column on the chart. Post the code your computer reports--again don't post a serial number.
    If your iMac shipped with only 1GB RAM, I fear it is one of the earliest models that cannot be upgraded all the way to Yosemite.

  • Will it still increase my comps performance?

    Hello one question if I add 512md ddr pc3200 will it still increase my computers performance if I already have 1gb of ram.....for example FPS on HL2?

    Quote
    Originally posted by TechHead
    Hi,
    No, won't make a whole lot of difference the major improvement would come from upgrading your video card but for a start try some omega/dna drivers
    http://www.valancestudio.com
    http://www.omegacorner.com
    Hope thats of some use
    Take Care
    Hi, are the OMEGA drivers different from the ones from the ATI website? if so are they better?  wots the corrolation with using ATI TOOL (to overclcock) and the  OMEGA DRIVERS?  btw please note this is for a 9800Pro ...

  • Will more ram increase my performance?

    I'm running Logic Pro 7.1.1 on a Powerbook G4 1.67 with 1 GB of ram installed running a fair amount of sample libraries and effects. When I check the Activity Monitor under system memory I get the following:
    Wired: 108 MB
    Active: 600 MB
    Inactive: 300 MB
    Free: 13 MB
    Since I still have a decent amount of inactive memory, does that mean that more ram would not affect my performance? Or will more ram help out with system overloads?

    i'm always careful in wholeheartedly saying 'yes' when people ask if more RAM will give more performance.. while of course it will in almost every case help things along, sometimes quite dramatically, I think it's important to be realistic about what it actually does.
    it's easy to have the misconception that more RAM = more plug ins on some kinf of linear scale -- I had 2GB, so now with 4GB I should get something like double the performance, right? just as long as you're clear why this isn't the case, then that's the main thing.
    I think since the days of CPU cards like protools TDM, the confusion is out there that adding RAM is like adding more DSP. so you just have to be careful that you understand what it's doing any why it can free your system up to do a little more. you can indeed see decent increases if your machine was struggling along before, given what you were trying to get it to do. or, it may just be a subtle thing.
    IMO the best way to think of it is this. your machine has the capacity to perform up to a certain level. when you start getting it to do a lot of things, you will start creating a hindrance to it performing as fast as it can as soon as there are moments when it doesn't have enough RAM to do it. this amount will be different for everyone, dependant on your own use. so, the best thing you can do is remove the bottlenecks, and you'll best let your machine go as fast as it will go.

  • Do I need more memory on my iMac (Mid 2011)?

    First and for most I want to make sure that I'm addressing the correct problem that's why I am asking a question that appears to be asked by many people on here. I mainly use my imac 27" to produce music (I use Logic and a LOT of plugins and instruments) and well I always get the following message:
    I hate it because I get it everytime Logic reaches a point where a lot of instruments and sounds come in (It's annoying and ruins my work flow). I usually just have logic and chrome open, bc I close everything else to help my situation.
    I bought my iMac thinking it would be faster than any laptop and I now realize that it doesn't matter if it's a laptop or a desktop but rather the memory it has and other things included. Anyways what would all of you recommend? What would be most useful to change? Would it just be adding memory (increasing the 4GB)? Thanks for your time!!
    <Image Edited By Host>

    I would just like to add to what everyone else said about 4GB really not being enough for doing much of anything. Even Safari and Mail can easily run up to the limit.
    If you are running up against the memory limit, your computer will start doing what is known as "thrashing". On an OS like iOS, too much memory simply causes running apps to be killed. On Windows and OSX, if you try to use more memory than what is available, the computer will start to use a disk cache as if it was memory. It will try to put the "older" items in memory to the disk. If you need to access that memory, the OS needs to load it back from disk. The problem is that the disk is about 20x or more slower than memory. When your computer is thrashing, it will seem like it is not working at all.
    If you are not running against the memory limit, then adding more memory will do absolutely nothing to improve performance. If you are running against the limit, you will be amazed at how much faster your computer will run with the extra memory.
    As far as adding memory goes, as others have said, you need to add them in matched pairs. Also as other have said, the 2011 iMac secretly supports 8GB ram cards. (check OWC at macsales.com and they will confirm).
    My advice would be to buy two 8GB cards ($109 at OWC) and add them in addition to your two 4GB cards. That will give you a total of 20GB. 20GB is TONS of memory and I am 100% sure that should be plenty for you. More is almost definitely overkill. You could almost definitely get away with adding 2 4GB cards for $50 as well (this would triple the memory you currently have), but memory is getting really cheap, and is a great way to "future proof" your computer.
    If you want to see what your computer is doing, try looking at "Activity Monitor". If you start it up, sort the processes by "Real Mem" and you can see which processes are using the most memory (some of the processes will have cryptic names, but you should be able to tell most of them).
    Also, click on "System Memory" at the bottom. Look at the "Page Ins" number ... if it is large, that means that you have been running into memory issues and having to "page in and out" memory to / from disk. You can also see what your processes are using currently. I forget exactly how OSX classifies the memory in each category, but Free is memory that is totally free, and "Wired" is memory that is in use. Active is basically memory in use, and Inactive is memory that is not really being used and can be made available for other processes, but I believe its being kept around in case the process that last used it decides it wants it back.

  • How much difference will more memory make with Logic?

    I'm running Logic 6 on an iBook G4 with 1.33 ghz and 768 meg of ram. I can max out at 1.5 gig of ram. What difference will this make? I'm also going to upgrade to Logic 7 soon. I'm going to wait a while before I get an INTEL Mac since most of my plugs have no updates available yet (Sampletank, Amplitube, and T-Racks mastering). I figure in a year, INTELS will be much more common.Please share thoughts. I run all the audio files from a 7200 Mercury Firewire drive. I figure before my iBook is outdated beyond use I can upgrade memory and eventually have a newer/faster HD installed (There's a few places that will install new HD, transfer data and have everything back to you in 24 hours).

    Adding memory will only make a truly big difference if you're currently low enough that the system resorts to using virtual memory paging. Load up a typical song in Logic, then start Activity Monitor. On the System Memory display, observe the number for 'page outs'. If it rarely or never increases while you're running Logic, adding memory won't make a huge difference. If 'page outs' is constantly growing, more memory will be dramatically improve the overall behavior of the system.
    Ignore 'page ins', it's not relevant.
    Note: those places that do 24 hour turnaround (via express shipping) for a drive replacement charge quite a premium for the service. I'd say you're better off doing as little as possible to the current system, and saving the money for the next one. Just my opinion, of course.
    Quad G5 2.5Ghz 4.5GB 2x250G, PB 15" 1.5Ghz,80G,1.5G   Mac OS X (10.4.4)  

  • How do i install more memory on my imac

    After 5 years of owning our wonderful iMac desktop, we needed to purchase more memory.  I ordered from crucial.com, as recommended by one of the techs in our nearby retail store.  The website they have on the packaging to help with installation says "not found".  ouch.  Has anyone had experience with installing new memory? 

    As long as you have your memory cards pulled
    As old as your iMac is, have you cleaned out the dust? Dust buildup can lead to over heating issues. Remove any and all things plugged into it including the power cord, Remove the RAM access grille. Vacuum all openings starting with the RAM access area (air intake). Vacuum all ports and plugs, DVD slot and the opening across the top of the rear of the body. Blow compressed air through all your openings and vacuum again to remove any dust you loosend. Reinstall the RAM grille. Plug in the keyboard and mouse if not blue tooth. Insert power cord...
    You are now in a perfect position to do a
    SMC RESET
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
    Shut down the computer.
    Unplug the computer's power cord and ALL peripherals.
    Wait 15 seconds.
    Attach the computers power cable.
    Wait another 5 seconds and press the power button to turn on the computer.
    It is the 5 second timing that initiates the reset.
    Here is a link to a Widget to monitor your temps and other operations:
    http://islayer.com/apps/istatpro/

  • Will more memory improve performance in this situation?

    I upgraded from a 3 GHZ Windows machine with 1 GB memory to a Mac Pro 8-core, Leopard, with 2 GB RAM. Most everything runs a lot faster but a few things, like converting layers to smart objects still are a bit pokey. I expected I would never see the Mac equivalent of the hourglass, which seems to be a wristwatch, again, but I still do.
    I have PS CS3 prefs set to 71% RAM for PS, out of 1963 available.
    Most all of my images start at 15 MB in RAW format.
    I have kept an eye on the efficiency reading at the bottom of the screen in the status area. It consistently stays at 100%. I presume that means my work isn't getting complex enough to go to virtual disk.
    In this situation, is there anything to be gained for PS CS3 performance by adding more RAM to my machine?
    I couldn't find the answer to this in other forum messages.

    While Photoshop cannot directly address all the RAM itself, it works together with the OS to in effect use far beyond the 2-GB limit imposed by the 32-bit OS and beyond the 3-GB the Photoshop engineers were able to wrangle through a workaround (* SEE FOOTNOTE), bringing into RAM stuff that would otherwise be written to disk.
    The advice is totally correct. You are just a tad behind the times. :) It has been discussed earlier, though some of the threads may have been deleted.
    FOOT NOTE:
    Elementary computing math. Both Panther and Tiger, under which Photoshop CS3 was developed and released, are 32-bit operating systems.
    The 2
    32 limitation still holds for all 32-bit applications (minus overhead/application footprint 2
    31).
    Because one bit is reserved, the calculation has to be 2
    31, which works out to 2147483648, and that's why up through CS2, the Photoshop limit was around 2 GB as it was for any other applications because of the limitation imposed by the 32-bit OS.
    In CS3, the Photoshop engineers devised a workaround to circumvent the limitations of the 32-bit OS to let it access about 3 GB.
    So, be thankful for the resourcefulness of the Adobe folks, rather than rant against the forces of nature and mathematics.
    Then, in Tiger (and presumably in the currently lame Leopard too), the OS began allowing Photoshop to take advantage beyond the 3 GB, as described in the first paragraph above, even though Photoshop is not
    directly addressing the RAM.

  • Will more memory make Day of Defeat source playable under boot camp?

    i have a 2.0ghz macbook with 1 gig of memory. if i upgraded to 1.5 gigs, do you think it would make a difference in gaming? in day of defeat source, i get 40fps on a simple custom made map. if i play any other maps, i get 9fps steady and my latency gets real high. im thinking this is maybe due to a low amount of memory. i dont want to waste my money upgrading for nothing. would it make day of defeat atleast playable?

    well its not really os x performance im worried about, its day of defeat. if i recall correctly, the system recommendations for the game recommend 1gig for memory. since the intel gma 950 is integrated, its using up that memory. especially when it can use up to 200mb in games under windows. i really am thinking more ram will help, but i just dont want to waste my money and find out it didnt do anything. i used to have a gaming pc before i sold it and a ram upgrade made all the difference in the world. but since i am dealing with integrated graphics, im wondering it just cant handle it. the thing is though, i have put in so many graphics tweaks in the game, it should run. i mean it looks like the old counter-strike which i run perfectly.

  • HT1423 How do I add more memory to my imac 5.1. Lion is requiring 2gb of memory and it only comes with 1 gb of memory

    I already have snow leopard.

    Hello, Sadly you have to pull those & install bigger ones.
    http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/apple/memory/iMac/Intel_Core_2_Duo_2006
    And go for at least the 3 or 4 GB kit, & that while satisfying the minimum, isn't really enough for 10.6.x

  • "out of memory error" will more memory help?

    I seem to be reading mixed reviews. I have an employee doing a really simple editing task with FCP 4.5 on an iMac we have that is 1.8 GHZ with 512 MB RAM. she keeps getting "Out of Memory" errors in FCP 4.5. So we're buying 2 GB RAM. Now I'm reading in other forums that the error may still continue. Any thoughts?

    Aside from the lack of ram - 512 MB is really the minimum for the OS - out of memory messages can also come about when using CMYK color space graphics in FCP. All images should be in the RGB color space.
    This usually doesn't appear as an issue unless you are using images that were intended for offset printing or someone inadvertently changed the color space from RGB.
    Good luck.
    x

  • HT1423 Upgrade memory in an iMac.

    It's looking pretty straightforward to install more memory in and iMac.   Is it really that easy - for a non-teckie, that is!

    Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
    It depends of the iMac. For example, the Late 2012 iMac is more difficult to install RAM because the slots aren't visible, but on an older iMac, it's so easy. Just follow the steps of that link to install memory, and look the maximum memory supported for your computer

  • HT1338 I HAVE INSTALLED MORE MEMORY IE FROM 4GB TO 16GB AND I HAVE LOST MY FINAL CUT PRO X AND OTHER PROGRAMES HOW CAN I DOWN LOAD THEM AGAIN

    I HAVE INSTALLED MORE MEMORY ON MY iMAC IE FROM 4GB TO 16GB BUT I HAVE LOST ALL MY FINAL CUT PRO X EDITING SOFTWERE ECT HOW DO I RE-INSTAL IT ALL

    Hi John,
    No reason that should happen!???
    Could be many things, we should start with this...
    "Try Disk Utility
    1. Insert the Mac OS X Install disc, then restart the computer while holding the C key.
    2. When your computer finishes starting up from the disc, choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu at top of the screen. (In Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you must select your language first.)
    *Important: Do not click Continue in the first screen of the Installer. If you do, you must restart from the disc again to access Disk Utility.*
    3. Click the First Aid tab.
    4. Select your Mac OS X volume.
    5. Click Repair Disk, (not Repair Permissions). Disk Utility checks and repairs the disk."
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
    Then try a Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
    (Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive.)
    If perchance you can't find your install Disc, or are running 10.7+, at least try it from the Safe Boot part onward.
    If 10.7.0 or later...
    Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partitiion & use Disk Utility from there.

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