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General discussion

RAM for Intel iMac

Oct 8, 2007 9:52AM PDT

I have 17" iMac with the 2GHz processor and the super drive, I am running the most current version of OS X (Tiger)I was thinking of upgrading my RAM but I read somewhere that this particular mac only accepts 3GB of ram (I currently have 1GB). Soooo my question is should i get (1) 2GB stick and (1) 1GB stick to maximize my ram? Or should I get (2) 2GB sticks since I had always heard that it is better to have paired RAM (i.e. (2) 512MB sticks etc.) I am not super computer savvy and I use my Mac primarily for recreational purposes surfing the net playing some games and my wife uses it for school. I am open to any suggestions since I am by no means an expert. Thx.

Discussion is locked

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(NT) I'd check with crucial.com
Oct 8, 2007 10:12AM PDT
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Checked it out
Oct 8, 2007 10:40AM PDT

I looked on crucial it seems as though they only sell the 2GB kit for my mac. I guess I was wondering if Iw ould see any benefit from adding another 1GB of RAM even if it wasn't "paired" or would you think the 2GB of "paired" RAM would be enough?

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RAM
Oct 8, 2007 9:49PM PDT

Your Intel Mac is capable of handling "Dual Channel Memory" and installing memory in matching pairs results in the most efficient use of RAM. The computer can address both RAM modules at the same time which results in a faster throughput.

That said, the Mac will operate just fine with different capacity RAM modules installed.


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At the risk of being repetitive
Oct 9, 2007 11:46AM PDT

As I understand it my iMac will only recognize 3GB of RAM so would it be more producitve to have a 2GB and a 1GB RAM chip in the two slots or get two 1GB sticks? Would i get any more speed out of it with 3GB vs 2GB paired? Thank you in advance.

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Right been there
Oct 9, 2007 12:02PM PDT

And I get that running matched pairs of RAM is best but 1. I didn't see any 2GB sticks and 2. I would seem to me (though an expert I am not) that 3GB would be better than 2GB of RAM unless having matching RAM would be more harmonious and make my Mac happy (I like keeping my mac happy). Would the increase in RAM be worth the extra cost I guess is my ultimate question. Cost vs. benefit. Thanks for all the help though esp Mr. Macfixit, I always appreciate your thourough responses. I have read a lot of the froums here on cnet.

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Thanks for the props and
Oct 9, 2007 9:56PM PDT

you are quite correct in saying that 3GB would be bette than two.

Matching pairs allows the system to access both RAM slots at the same time, which increases efficiency, whereas unlike slots would be accessed individually.

The "loss" of speed is not going to cause you any bother and I would be surprised if you could actually perceive any difference in the speed of your Mac.

Go for whatever it is that you want to put in there, unlike pairs do not decrease the speed of the machine, extra memory will more than cover for any difference that there may be.

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