adding ram

If i added more ram to my mac mini would i see any difference?
I.E. bootup speed,shut down speeds,converting to ipod,opening programs
at the monent its got 512mb
would the apple store do it for me?
I was thinking of adding 1GB making it 1.5GB ram

thanks

Yes... definitely.

512 is really scraping the barrel, 1GB really shows how fast the machine can be.

If you have an intel mac mini, you currently have 2x 256MB RAM, so if you add another Gig, you'll have 1,25 GB.

I wouldn't go the apple store route as they really overcharge for RAM. See if you have any other mac dealers in your area - they'll likely offer you cheaper RAM prices. (compare!)

I've got a ppc mini with 512 so I can only go up to 1gig. Is it really that much faster? I'm getting beachballs even with the simplest things now.

Yeah, even only adding 512MB will make a large difference...

1Gig should definitely improve things speed-wise.

Aptmunich said:

Yes... definitely.

512 is really scraping the barrel, 1GB really shows how fast the machine can be.

If you have an intel mac mini, you currently have 2x 256MB RAM, so if you add another Gig, you'll have 1,25 GB.

I wouldn't go the apple store route as they really overcharge for RAM. See if you have any other mac dealers in your area - they'll likely offer you cheaper RAM prices. (compare!)

Click to expand...

I thought they had only 2 slots for RAM, so to upgrade, one would have to replace what is already installed, not just add to it. Am I wrong?

It all depends how much ram you want to put in. But since you have 512 I'd recommend going up to at least a gig, or if you have the money 2 gigs. I think Apple Stores charge, so if thats true just do it yourself :mac:

jc1350 said:

I thought they had only 2 slots for RAM, so to upgrade, one would have to replace what is already installed, not just add to it. Am I wrong?

Click to expand...

Nope your right.

jc1350 said:

I thought they had only 2 slots for RAM, so to upgrade, one would have to replace what is already installed, not just add to it. Am I wrong?

Click to expand...

No, but perhaps my post was a bit misleading...

The intel based Mac minis have 2 slots: both have 256MB installed by default.

If you add one 1GB stick 'o RAM and replace one of the 256MB sticks, you'll have 1,25Gigs. Bear in mind that the RAM in the intel mac mini is a bear to upgrade, so you might want to go for two 2GB sticks right away...

The POWERPC based mac mini only has 1 slot.
I would recommend installing one 1GB stick of RAM for best performance there.

if you do decide to upgrade the ram yourself, I found good guide that has picures of how to do it..
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/82.13.0.html

hope that helps

Aptmunich said:

No, but perhaps my post was a bit misleading...

Click to expand...

Heh...and my math skills weren't very skillful. doh!

Good thing is if you do it yourself, you learn the basics of upgrading and it doesn't void your warranty

Looks like I'm out to buy 1gig ram and the "famous" putty knife.

Ha ha, just use a butter knife.

Cool thanks for your reply found this
http://www.memoryx.net/1incosom.html

the trouble is that i live in the uk there is not meny mac shops according to that website is needs to be DDR 667 so any ram would be ok as long as its DDR 667 right??

I think that I should mention that if you have an Intel Mini, you will want to replace your memory by the pair if you want to get optimal performance. While the Intel Macs are capable of running with mis-matched memory, they will run at their best if the two sticks are the same size, speed, and manufacture.

2J4EZ said:

Cool thanks for your reply found this
http://www.memoryx.net/1incosom.html

the trouble is that i live in the uk there is not meny mac shops according to that website is needs to be DDR 667 so any ram would be ok as long as its DDR 667 right??

Click to expand...

667 is just the mhz. You need DDR2 PC2-5300. Just look on hardware websites and when your looking it up Look up DDR2, Then when gooing through the list of RAM look out for PC2-5300


http://support.apple.com/specs/macmini/Mac_mini_Early_2006.html

cjay said:

I've got a ppc mini with 512 so I can only go up to 1gig. Is it really that much faster? I'm getting beachballs even with the simplest things now.

Click to expand...

Yes. Having only 512 MB of RAM in my 1.42 mini drove me bananas. The Apple store wanted three hundred something to install a 1GB module, so I bought a Crucial or Kingston (forgot which) from Ebay for $55 shipped and installed it myself. Already had the putty knives anyway

The fan is going to spin a tad louder but the whole system ist still going to be quieter than the fan on a high-end GForce card.