11-27-2007, 05:56 PM

I got my middle-level macbook when they first came out, so it only has 512 MB of memory. I'm pretty sure it's two 256 MB slots.

What would be the best way for me to upgrade my memory? I realy don't want so spend more than $200. On the mac site it says: "For best performance, fill both memory slots, installing an equal memory module in each slot."

And when I upgrade my memory, will I lose all my files and everything?!


any advice would be great
thanks!

11-27-2007, 06:04 PM

There are plenty of places to buy ram, just make sure you don't save so much money that you end up with crappy ram. Some prices are just too good to be true. Do try to get matching pairs. You can find out what is in there by going to the Apple icon, select About this Mac, More info, memory.
As far as losing files: no. RAM memory and hard drive memory are two very different animals. (Obligatory reminder to back up all of your files anyway!)

11-27-2007, 06:09 PM

OK so what are all the benefits of upgrading memory? Will it just be faster or will I be able to store more files, too?

11-27-2007, 06:22 PM

RAM in my mind is a wonderful thing lol, yeah it will have a noticeable performance increase which is always good. I have 2gb at the minute and for me thats fine maybe even a little two much as all i do at the minute is nothin lol. But yeah it means that you can run more programs more smoothly, I would say get as much as you can but have a look to see wat the limit is

11-27-2007, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by iLewis08

RAM in my mind is a wonderful thing lol, yeah it will have a noticeable performance increase which is always good. I have 2gb at the minute and for me thats fine maybe even a little two much as all i do at the minute is nothin lol. But yeah it means that you can run more programs more smoothly, I would say get as much as you can but have a look to see wat the limit is

Well I know the max for me is 2 gb, two 1 gb slots.
I've just been confused as to whether or not I'll be able to store more files if I upgrade my memory??

I have SO much music it doesn't leave much room for videos and photos.
What should I do if I'm more concerned about being able to store more photos/videos/music than I am about speed?

11-27-2007, 06:59 PM

You need a bigger hard drive, not more RAM. You can get an internal one installed or just get an external one. I got a 500GB hard drive for $150.

11-27-2007, 07:02 PM

OK, what are the benefits/downfalls of an external/internal harddrive?

11-27-2007, 07:26 PM

Well, an internal drive is of course convenient because it's in your computer and you don't have to carry the external box with you when you need it. An external drive can be larger capacity though, up to 1TB. But you have to plug it in via USB or Firewire to access it. I just have all the data that I don't need immediate access to backed up on my external drive, sitting on a desk at home, so I can connect it to my macbook when I need to.

You should consider how much additional storage you need first. What size hard drive do you have? And how much additional storage do you think you'll need?

I'm sure if you did a search on this forum, you would find a ton of info on what kind of drive would best suit your needs.

11-27-2007, 11:06 PM

RAM and hard drives are totally different. RAM is a temporary storage for when you start up a software like... Safari, Mail... All that is done in RAM and it is kept in RAM unless you exit the software. Minimizing won't do the trick. It's good to have more RAM, because you can use multiple software at once without lagging. I guess that's where multi-tasking comes from. Also RAM empties out when your computer's turned off. It loses all its contents.

Hard drives are devices to store files that are on your computer. It's not temporary like the RAM. Also, unlike RAM, it does not empty out when turned off. It stores files like your mp3, photos, word documents... you get the idea. So RAM and hard drives are very different. You won't be able to store more stuff by adding more RAM. It just makes it faster and you can do more things at once.

11-27-2007, 11:53 PM

OK, so if my safari/other internet applications seem to randomly freeze a lot, even when i only have 1 other application open if that, does that mean i may need more RAM?

11-28-2007, 07:56 AM

RAM helps when you have more than one application open but no app should be freezing anyway, if you've had your mac for a while why don't you try a fresh installation of the OS. Then if you still think things could be better upgrade the RAM.