Big difference b/t 512mb and 768mb RAM in ibook?

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eburness

Guest
ibook question here. I'm stuck b/t getting an 12" ibook with 768mb of RAM and a Airport Extreme card, and the same ibook, but with 512mb of RAM, the Airport card, and an iSight, which I've heard is a phenomenal product. So what should I do??? Is the extra 256mb of RAM going to make that big of a difference?? Here's some info that might be of help to anyone trying to help here....

1.) I'll be doing mainly web browsing (often lots of windows), mp3 and video file watching (no editing, creation), email, and word processing
2.) I'll be on a VERY fast network (college student at a school with a bleeding edge connection)
3.) It'd be quite nice to be able to video conference with family (brother at school in St. Louis), or friends, parents, etc.

That help at all? Another side quesiton, but is there something a/b the current ibooks that will be incompatible with Tiger? Thanks for any help guys.



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1) I'd wager that 512 will be enough for your uses. You be able to do everything you mention there without any problems.
However, if you do later want to upgrade, remember that you'll have to buy a whole new stick, and the price difference between a 256 stick and a 512MB one isn't that huge anyway... Personally i'd get the larger stick, just not from apple.

2)Apple seems to support current products for quite a while, so whilst tiger will run better on 64 bit systems (new imac, powermac), it'll still run on current ibooks, powerbooks without any problems. (at least that's my prediction)!

Remember: Apple has a smallish user base, and it can't afford to lose any customers. So it'll support older products longer...
 
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E

eburness

Guest
Aptmunich said:
1) I'd wager that 512 will be enough for your uses. You be able to do everything you mention there without any problems.
However, if you do later want to upgrade, remember that you'll have to buy a whole new stick, and the price difference between a 256 stick and a 512MB one isn't that huge anyway... Personally i'd get the larger stick, just not from apple.

2)Apple seems to support current products for quite a while, so whilst tiger will run better on 64 bit systems (new imac, powermac), it'll still run on current ibooks, powerbooks without any problems. (at least that's my prediction)!

Remember: Apple has a smallish user base, and it can't afford to lose any customers. So it'll support older products longer...


Thanks for the help. My question is now, since you recommend getting RAM from somewhere other than from Apple, is whether any generic PC2100 SODIMM will work in the ibook? Thanks
 
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S

sirlan

Guest
Just remember, when it comes to videoconferencing, you're limited to only as fast as what the smallest pipe can handle. Even if you are on a very fast network, the bandwidth connecting your network with your family's connection may be slower and almost certainly won't be dedicated. In simplest terms, you may be transmitting at 256K or faster but the connection bandwidth may vary between 64K and 384K (for example - could be slower or faster). Good quality videoconferencing is very bandwidth intensive and will be affected by variations. It could be very smooth one second and choppy the next.
Having said that, I'm not trying to talk you out of getting the iSight. I think it's probably one of the better cameras out there for home use. I just want to make sure you don't expect perfect quality on a non-dedicated, public network. It may work very well for your needs though.
 
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tariq

Guest
Not exactly sure what you mean by generic RAM, but I've read that a few people have had success with cheaper 'generic' RAM. The majority of Powerbook/iBook owners have gone with 'name brand' RAM from Crucial/Micron, Kingston, Samsung etc. just to be on the safe side.
 
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I'd get it from crucial.com as they have a guide to help you pick your RAM and seem to have decent prices. Although the price difference isn't huge compared to apple's from what i've heard, but it sounds as though every penny will help! :)
 
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MoltenLava

Guest
Don't assume non-Apple branded memory is "generic". People who choose to buy memory from somewhere other than Apple don't automatically get generic. Never buy memory with generic chips on it. Always get the ones with name brand high quality chips such as Samsung, Hynix, or Micron. Even the Apple themselves use Samsung and Hynix memory chips. Crucial, PNY, Kingstone, etc are distributors. They carry memory made by various manufacturers, some name brand, and some are not. Always ask for name brand chips.
 
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I

ibook911

Guest
Crucial.com is great. However, for the ibook they price the same 512MB so-dimm for about $30 more than if you just look-up that particular stick on the site by yourself.

The 512MB stick I added is from Crucial. Plus, all of my PCs have Crucial memory. It is very good, and they ship anything over $40 (i think that is the amount) via FREE 2nd day fedex!
 
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J

jaetique

Guest
I received an extra 256MB RAM free and a few other gifts with my iBook (promotion at the store) and so far, I've run heaps of software at the same time with little or no lag. A typical setup for me would be this:
Entourage 2004
Safari
iTunes
Photoshop CS
Dreamweaver
Word 2004
MSN Messenger

It's all good. :p
 

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