RAM questions - iMac 20 C2D

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Your Mac's Specs
iMac 20, Intel Dual Core 2.3GHz, 1Gb RAM, 256Mb Video; G4 tower 444Mhz w/ 1G RAM, 2x G3 towers
looking to upgrade my RAM. my wife's schooling hasn't reached the CAD or graphics phase yet, so I'm only gaming as far as hard processing goes.

from what I understand, the iMac will HOLD 4Gb of RAM, but only use 3. (that sucks) so my questions are:

1) would the Dual Channel 'affect' of a matched pair of 2x2Gb sticks work better than a mismatched 2Gb & 1Gb stick upgrade?

2) specs on the site and on my comp say DDR2 667... where does the 5300 and the 5400 differ (if even noticeable)

and finally, would a DDR2 800 work??

i feel like i should know these answers, but too much to do to dig enough to reteach myself everything...
 
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iMac Alum 20'' 2.4GHz | iMac G4 | iPod Silver Nano 2GB
Dual-channel is the recommend option. PC2-5300 DDR2 is the correct spec and as far as I know the only spec to work.
 
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The Apple Support documents notes that all Intel iMac models have "two SDRAM slots in the bottom of the computer" and "you can use small-outline dual inline memory modules (SO-DIMMS)" that "meet all of these criteria":

• PC2-5300
• unbuffered
• nonparity
• 200-pin
• 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM up to 1.25” in height.

It also notes that "DIMMs with the following features are not supported":

• Registers or buffers
• PLLs
• ECC
• parity
• EDO RAMsaf

Note: If you do install a 2 GB SO-DIMM in both the bottom and top memory slots of the computer, the About This Mac window and Apple System Profiler will both show that you have 4 GB of SDRAM installed. However, Activity Monitor and other similar applications will reveal that only 3 GB of SDRAM has been addressed for use by the computer.

How much RAM do I need?

The more memory your computer has, the more programs you can run simultaneously, and the better performance you get from your computer. How much memory is right for you?

  • Choose 512MB of memory to support most day-to-day tasks such as email, word processing, spreadsheets, web browsing, and basic iLife '06 tasks.
  • Select 1GB of memory (two 512MB modules) if you'll be photo editing, creating illustrations, or building complex presentations.
  • Upgrade to the 2GB option (two 1GB modules) if you plan to use your system regularly for sound design, video editing, DVD authoring, animation, and other intensive tasks.

The Intel iMac uses one of the fastest memory technologies available today—667 MHz, double data rate (DDR2), synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM). It ensures high performance and reliability by synchronizing memory speed with the speed of the central processor so that data can be delivered continuously and more rapidly to the processor. And if both slots are loaded with an equal amount of RAM -- which is strongly recommended -- you can take advantage of the system's dual-channel memory architecture for an additional performance boost.
 
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17 inch 2 GHz C2D imac (5,1) with 3GB DDR2 RAM, X1600 (128MB memory) GPU - OSX 10.6.3
So you're saying in a nutshell:

That 2x2 GB sticks of ram would work better than a 1 and a 2 GB stick. Cause of the dual channel effect. Even though only 3 GB would be addressed in both cases.

Is that right?
 
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DaYCEnt
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Your Mac's Specs
iMac 20, Intel Dual Core 2.3GHz, 1Gb RAM, 256Mb Video; G4 tower 444Mhz w/ 1G RAM, 2x G3 towers
So you're saying in a nutshell:

That 2x2 GB sticks of ram would work better than a 1 and a 2 GB stick. Cause of the dual channel effect. Even though only 3 GB would be addressed in both cases.

Is that right?

That is exactly what I've been trying to ask... 3Gb of memory via a 2g+1g of unmatched sticks, or 3Gb of memory via 2g+2g of matched sticks? which one would be the best performer??
 
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DaYCEnt
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Your Mac's Specs
iMac 20, Intel Dual Core 2.3GHz, 1Gb RAM, 256Mb Video; G4 tower 444Mhz w/ 1G RAM, 2x G3 towers
I can see a messy can of worms coming, but could you please explain your answer, Jay? i'm a retard lately on equipment, and i'm about to up my RAM, so i'd like to know your reasons... thank you!!!
 

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