Problems since Snow Leopard installation

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Hi,

I'm new to the forum so apologies if I have posted this in wrong category.

I have a imac 7,1 which I installed Snow Leopard on a few months back in order to be able to sync with my Iphone and I have been having nothing but problems with hangs and it running quite slow since. It seems to be causing a problem with the graphics as well in terms that it gets pixelated in certain small areas of the screen.

Currently I only have 1gb of RAM. I am just wondering if upgrading to 4gb (2x2gb) of RAM would help fix this issue? Or would I need a new graphics card as well?

Ideally I would like to upgrade to OSX Lion or even Mountain Lion when it comes out but I am just wondering is it will be worth it or would I still experience the hangs?

Thanks.
 

cwa107


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Hi,

I'm new to the forum so apologies if I have posted this in wrong category.

I have a imac 7,1 which I installed Snow Leopard on a few months back in order to be able to sync with my Iphone and I have been having nothing but problems with hangs and it running quite slow since. It seems to be causing a problem with the graphics as well in terms that it gets pixelated in certain small areas of the screen.

Currently I only have 1gb of RAM. I am just wondering if upgrading to 4gb (2x2gb) of RAM would help fix this issue? Or would I need a new graphics card as well?

Ideally I would like to upgrade to OSX Lion or even Mountain Lion when it comes out but I am just wondering is it will be worth it or would I still experience the hangs?

Thanks.

Definitely upgrade the RAM. Snow Leopard won't run comfortably on less than 2GB of RAM in my experience.

Good sources for memory:

Apple Mac Memory Upgrade Options: Easy Buying Guide, Free Install Videos. Memory backed by Lifetime Advance Replacement Warranty.
RAM Memory Upgrade: Dell, Mac, Apple, HP, Compaq. USB drives, SSD at Crucial.com
 
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Intel Core Duo, Nvidia Geforce 8800, 4GB DDR2 RAM, 24 inch aluminium iMac
I'm not sure about the graphical issue, but there's one thing i know, if you're going to be adding extra ram to a mac from the apple store, you are looking in the price range of around 200-800 dollars, try finding an old laptop (can be a windows one) and taking the ram out of that, that should fit in the imac ram slot.
Mac VS PC

Mac ram price: 2gb = $200+
Windows ram price: 2gb = $15-

I have no idea how Apple gets away with this......
 

cwa107


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I'm not sure about the graphical issue, but there's one thing i know, if you're going to be adding extra ram to a mac from the apple store, you are looking in the price range of around 200-800 dollars, try finding an old laptop (can be a windows one) and taking the ram out of that, that should fit in the imac ram slot.
Mac VS PC

What? Why? Memory is memory. There is no need to pull it out of a Windows machine. Just buy it from a reputable third party like Crucial or OWC.

Modern Macs use the same commodity x86 hardware as Windows machines. There is no difference. So, you can purchase memory from anyone that you'd like.

Mac ram price: 2gb = $200+
Windows ram price: 2gb = $15-

I have no idea how Apple gets away with this......

Most vendors do charge a premium for memory, particularly when you're adding it to a new system. And going back to the vendor for memory is kind of silly as there is always a premium for OEM parts, whether it's Apple, Dell, HP, whomever...
 
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What? Why? Memory is memory. There is no need to pull it out of a Windows machine. Just buy it from a reputable third party like Crucial or OWC.

Modern Macs use the same commodity x86 hardware as Windows machines. There is no difference. So, you can purchase memory from anyone that you'd like.

No, i meant it as in if he has a spare laptop lying around he can salvage the RAM to save himself time and money.
From my memory my compaq presario's ddr2 512mb ram fitted perfectly into my imac.
 
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Most vendors do charge a premium for memory, particularly when you're adding it to a new system. And going back to the vendor for memory is kind of silly as there is always a premium for OEM parts, whether it's Apple, Dell, HP, whomever...

Yes but from my experience the majority of people don't actually know about the alternative ram outlets from apple. Most people on windows who have custom built machines (there are alot more custom built pc's than custom built macs) know about buying from cheaper hardware stores, since this guy is using an imac i have predicted purely from the likeliness of the percentage that he has a non custom built mac computer.
 
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Hi,

Thank you for both for the advice. I think I'll stick with buying new RAM as suggested because it isn't all that expensive buying new. I'll buy it from Crucial as they have a UK site as well. And you are right cwa, it is not currently custom built iMac but I definitely want to get it running better than it currently is.

Would it make any difference buying 240 pin over 200 pin RAM? I've found a good 4 gb deal for Crucial memory here.

Thanks.
 

chscag

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You can't use 240 pin modules in that machine. Here's what you need:

Maximum Memory 6.0 GB (Actual) 4.0 GB (Apple)

Memory Slots 2 - 200-pin PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 SO-DIMM


The above is for an iMac 7,1 copied from the Mactracker data base.
 

cwa107


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Ok that's great. Thanks for your help.

BTW, Crucial has a UK-specific website as well:

RAM Memory Upgrade: Dell, Mac, Apple, HP, Compaq. USB drives, SSD at Crucial.com/uk

And when you use their Memory Configurator, they will guarantee compatibility. Their modules are also lifetime guaranteed. I highly recommend steering clear of "generic" memory and you need to be absolutely certain it's the right spec as specified by chscag.

And finally, beware of "lifetime" guarantees if you don't get the memory from a well established company like Crucial (Micron) or Kingston. I've seen far too many of these fly-by-night operations fold up - and what they don't tell you that the memory isn't guaranteed by the manufacturer, but by the seller.
 
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Hi,

Yes I have already found the Crucial UK site and used the advisory tool.

Does it matter where I order them from though? I found a good deal on Crucial Ram on Amazon here. It's a little bit cheaper than ordering direct from Crucial and the feedback is good from other similar iMac owners.

Thanks.
 

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