iMac G3 ram upgrade tutorial

A

Americain

Guest
I have researched many of the tutorials on the web concerning replacing the 64 mg ramstick on my 333mhz iMac G3 (Rev A). Most of them were a bit spotty on the use of photos so I thought I'd ask you all what you thought the best online guide was. Thanks in advance.
 
OP
A

Americain

Guest
And that's the odd thing. When I bought it I was relatively certain it was a Rev D because of the 333 mhz chip but when I opened it up it had "Rev A" stamped on one of the cable tapes. There was also a 1998 date in there somewhere also indicating it could be a Rev A. Confusing to say the least.
 
OP
A

Americain

Guest
Oh, one other thing. The PC-100 ram sticks that I have are much longer than (what I thought) was the ram stick in the iMac. Could I have been looking at the wrong thing?
 
OP
B

Badger

Guest
The RAM for the tray-loading iMacs was a 144 pin module. It is the same module used by the powerbook of the period. The larger modules may be for the slot-loading iMacs or other models. I wouldn't pay too much attention to cable labels etc. They are often used in several models or they may have been designed/produced for the rev A and carried over. Your best identifier is the specs from the Apple System Profiler.
 
OP
A

Americain

Guest
Thanks Badger. I was wondering if anyone here knows whether or not the ram chips used on the G3 iMacs were consistent in size. Did they change sizes at any time? Can a Rev A ram stick be used in Rev B,C and D? Just wondering.
 
OP
B

Badger

Guest
The A through D models were specified as either 128 mbs total or 256 mbs total. Apple kept the same type of RAM for these models so in principal you can use RAM from a rev A in a rev D and vice versa. However there are a couple of things to note. The space for the lower RAM is slightly shorter than for the upper. Most RAM was produced to fit in either slot but it's worth verifying. Also, some of the machines will recognize double the amount of RAM that Apple specified. My 333 happily ran 256 modules in both slots when Apple specifies 128. Unfortunately there is no way to tell ahead of time so if you buy 256 modules be sure you can return/exchange them. You can check Low End Mac for the details: www.lowendmac.com.
 
OP
A

Americain

Guest
Thanks again Badger. Now it's just a matter of finding 256 megs of SO RAM laying around. I know my way around the inside of the G3 pretty well by now so it's just a matter of finding the right deal. I'm keeping an eye on Craigslist here locally as I prefer to deal with stuff I can see first before purchasing. Should be interesting.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top