Which RAM to get for Mac

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hi all

im new to the forum, i'm actually just posting a message to get some guidance on inserting ram into my mac, i have looked briefly but there seems to be so many different kinds for all the different types of macs, i've tried to look up my model but im still uncertain.

i use my mac for design purposed so needing more ram to speed up the programs etc

here is my system info

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz

can anyone please advise :)

thank you very much

hope that info is what you'd need to help :)

thanks
 

vansmith

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According to Mactracker, you need 200-pin PC2-5300 (667mhz) DDR2.
 
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thats great, so do you guys think this will really help, my mac is great at the moment but very slightly struggles with running multiple programs, especially design programs

also is it easy enough to install the hardware?

legends
thank you
 
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oh will that increase my ram by 2gb to 3gb or will i be replacing my 1gb of ram for the 2

or can i get 3gb or 4 gb of ram for my mac?

hope this makes sense :)
 
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just copied and pasted the below ram
200-pin PC2-5300 (667mhz) DDR2

but when looking on amazon for example the mac branded ones say they are for laptop, will these fit my mac? with it not being a laptop, or is it ok to use the other brands, will these work and fit ok?

sorry :)
 

vansmith

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"Mac branded" RAM is the biggest scam. The only reason RAM is branded as "Mac-compatible" is so manufacturers can justify charging a premium. I use non-Mac branded RAM and have never had a problem nor have ever heard of problems with RAM due to the fact that it wasn't specifically "Mac-branded".

AFAIK, iMacs use notebook RAM. Someone with an iMac would be able to confirm that for you though.
 

vansmith

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That looks to be one stick of RAM. The bets practice is to get pairs of RAM. So, instead of one 2GB stick, get two 1GB sticks. As for the brand, I have never heard of iRam so I can't vouch for their quality. For experience and from others, the best brands to go to are Crucial, Corsair or Kingston.
 
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hijust wondering, with my mac having 2 ram slots and there already being 1gb of ram in my computer, wouldn't adding the 2gb stick of ram give me 3gb of ram in total, this being better than 2 single 1gb ram sticks in each slot???

thanks for all your advise :)

j
 

CrimsonRequiem


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hijust wondering, with my mac having 2 ram slots and there already being 1gb of ram in my computer, wouldn't adding the 2gb stick of ram give me 3gb of ram in total, this being better than 2 single 1gb ram sticks in each slot???

thanks for all your advise :)

j

Yeah it would be three GB of RAM although it's better to have matching pairs. You need to determine what the max amount of RAM your computer can support before you buy though.
 
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and the 1GB you have in there is probably 2 sticks of 512MB
 
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I think the alum. iMac's can have 4GB of RAM. I would buy 2 sticks of 2GB because RAM is so affordable right now and the speed bump is so nice.
 

vansmith

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I think the alum. iMac's can have 4GB of RAM. I would buy 2 sticks of 2GB because RAM is so affordable right now and the speed bump is so nice.
Indeed, the iMac 7,1 can take 4GB. skye is right - get 2x2GB for 4GB if you can afford it (not that expensive). That would be your best bet.
 
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sounds good, i guess i'll do that, just wondering would it work better if i got the 2gb stick in one slot and the 512 in the other or better just keeping the 2 slots with 512

just wondering

guess i'll go for the 2 sticks adding to 4gb of ram :)
 

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