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RAM for Snow Leopard
#28822 04/29/14 06:30 PM
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deniro Offline OP
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Apple's requirement to run Snow Leopard is 1 GB RAM, which is what I have. Will that be enough or will I experience slow downs if I get more RAM?

My imac has only two slots, each one currently filled with half-gig RAM chips. I would have to remove them and buy a 2 GB chip.

Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28823 04/29/14 07:36 PM
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I think you'll hate Snowy with only 1GB RAM, and I suggest that you max out your iMac.

Since I can't determine precisely which iMac you've got, I'm not certain just what your max is, but 2GB is the minimum number I'd want...more if possible.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28828 04/29/14 09:18 PM
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Artie is right: adding more RAM is the easiest and least expensive way to upgrade your iMac. How much you should add depends on what you run simultaneously, but maxing out your RAM regardless is a good idea. That would involve 6 or 8GB in case you've got the 2007 or 2009 20" model, or about $100, tops.


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Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
alternaut #28832 04/30/14 12:15 AM
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Crap. So damn complicated. And expensive. Looks like I will remain in the ghetto of 10.4.11

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-2-duo-2.0-17-inch-specs.html

Standard RAM: 1 GB
Maximum RAM: 4 GB*
Details: 1 GB of RAM is installed as two 512 MB SO-DIMM modules.

*Apple officially supports 3 GB of RAM, but third-parties have been able to upgrade the system to 4 GB of RAM using two 2 GB memory modules with some limitations.

Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28833 04/30/14 12:25 AM
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Is $57.99 really that much to spend on a computer which retailed for $1200?



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Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28834 04/30/14 12:45 AM
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Originally Posted By: Mactracker
Maximum Memory 3.0 GB (4.0 GB can be installed, only 3.0 GB will be addressed)

I'm not sure what you mean by expensive, so I checked out Crucial ...high quality RAM.

What you want to do is not really all that complicated; we'll walk you through it, step by step, if need be.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
dkmarsh #28835 04/30/14 12:50 AM
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OWC RAM is less expensive than Crucial RAM, so if Mactracker can be relied on, deniro can actually max out for only $42.99.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
artie505 #28836 04/30/14 03:10 AM
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Good point. I thought it was more than that.

I've bought alot of stuff from OWC.

Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
artie505 #28842 04/30/14 05:37 PM
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And you can get it for $34 on Amazon. smile


Photo gallery, all about me, and more: www.xeromag.com/franklin.html
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
tacit #28846 04/30/14 09:39 PM
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Now, is upgrading to Snow Leopard worth it?

Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28848 04/30/14 10:07 PM
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I think you'll be happy with Snowy; it's a rock-solid OS! (I intend to run it for as long as I possibly can.)

And I'll guess that the fact that your iMac is "optimized" for Tiger will be of little consequence because of your 2.0GHz processor speed/667MHz system bus speed combination.

Edit: If nothing else, QuickLook and Safari 5 with extensions should be rewarding enough to justify your efforts (which, I'll add, will not be inconsiderable).

Last edited by artie505; 04/30/14 10:14 PM.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
artie505 #28849 04/30/14 11:33 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
...rewarding enough to justify your efforts (which, I'll add, will not be inconsiderable).

Are you saying that upgrading to Snow Leopard will in fact require considerable effort on deniro's part? In what ways in particular?



dkmarsh—member, FineTunedMac Co-op Board of Directors
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
dkmarsh #28850 04/30/14 11:55 PM
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Rather than just upgrade to Snowy, deniro wants to install it and run it and Tiger parallel to each other to decide on a final yes or no.

An additional external drive would make that a bit easier, but deniro's existing setup will make it difficult, because it will necessitate several erasure/clone/installation steps.

By "not inconsiderable" I didn't mean difficult; I meant time-consuming (although there's always a degree of difficulty/hair-tearing/anxiety involved in such a project).


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
artie505 #28862 05/01/14 05:48 PM
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dkMarsh: Thanks for the OWC link.

I have an external drive with a clone of my current system, and another external drive on the shelf not being used. Both OWC, both 250 GB.

I'm interested in using voice-recognition software.

Here’s what I use:

Word Processing
NeoOffice, Tex-edit Plus

Internet
Firefox 3, rarely Safari 4 (plus PithHelmet)

Audio
itunes 7.6.2

Video
Quicktime Player 7.5
DVD Player
MacTubes

Finance
Quicken 2007

And
Address Book
Adobe Digital Editions (for ebooks, it’s crap)
Adobe Reader
AppCleaner
Appleworks 6 (well, I still have some files…)
Dictionary
Disk Utility
EasyFind
Epson software
FinderPop
Flux
Font book
ical
MacTubes
Mail
Monolingual
Netgear router
Netgear DSL modem ATT
Onyx
Preview
Printer Setup Repair
Reunion 9
Service Scrubber
SpeedDownload 4
Starry Night
SuperDuper


Last edited by deniro; 05/01/14 06:08 PM.
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28863 05/01/14 06:00 PM
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Quote:
third-parties have been able to upgrade the system to 4 GB of RAM using two 2 GB memory modules with some limitations.


?

Last edited by deniro; 05/01/14 06:02 PM.
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28870 05/02/14 07:30 AM
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Well, here's what three Apple docs have to say about the matter as respects your particular iMac, and notice that not a one of them mentions any limitations:

iMac (Late 2006) - Technical Specifications

Quote:
1GB (2x512MB) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300), supports up to 3GB

iMac: Memory specifications and upgrades

Quote:
Although the iMac (Late 2006) computers will accept up to a 2 GB SO-DIMM in each of the two memory slots, the iMac will only support 3 GB total memory.

iMac: How to remove or install memory

Quote:
The computer will only use a maximum of 3 GB of RAM.

The only potential limitation I've run across deals with RAM interleaving, which, if your iMac supports it (Edit: Doc #3 suggests that it does, and Mactracker says "Yes".), will give you (what I believe is only) a minor speed boost:

1. Interleaving requires the same size DIMM in each of the two slots.

2. I've got no idea whether it works, even with matched DIMMs, with a Mac that doesn't recognize all the memory it's got.

3. Judging from your list of apps that you run, I'm not certain that you'd derive any particular benefit from it.

Edit: 4. Doc #3 also says: "For best performance, fill both memory slots, installing an equal memory module in each slot", but, again, your situation is anomalous.

In a different vein, I see that you'll have some software updating to do...doesn't look particularly costly (to me) and that you're running some obsolete software, but what jumps out at me is that you're using AppleWorks, which may present a problem.

> I'm interested in using voice-recognition software.

You may find this thread helpful.

Last edited by artie505; 05/02/14 09:08 AM.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
artie505 #28872 05/02/14 10:32 AM
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deniro Offline OP
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Those quotes say up to 3 GB but OWC says you can use 4GB.

Does anyone have an opinion about whether I should go with a total of 3GB or 4GB RAM? Or 2GB?

2) Yes, I do have Appleworks. Heh. I have no problem giving it up after all these years (sniff…). I'll rely on NeoOffice.

Last edited by deniro; 05/02/14 10:35 AM.
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28873 05/02/14 10:45 AM
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If you go back to the original docs you'll find that the quotes say that your iMac can take 4GB but will only recognize 3GB. (That's probably OWC's "limitation".)

I'd say go with 3GB unless somebody recognizes something in your app list that would benefit from interleaving, in which case you can go for 4GB with the caveat that it's not clear whether you'll get interleaving with only 3GB of the 4GB recognized.

For your situation, though, I'll say a definite "No!" to 2GB.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
artie505 #28878 05/02/14 01:06 PM
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OS 10.6.8 I have a 2009 imac and I increased the RAM to 8GB 1067 MHz DDR3 Kingston. Like alternaut says, it depends on which year you have. It is better to max your RAM regardless.
jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
jaybass #28880 05/02/14 03:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: jaybass
OS 10.6.8 I have a 2009 imac and I increased the RAM to 8GB 1067 MHz DDR3 Kingston. Like alternaut says, it depends on which year you have. It is better to max your RAM regardless.
jaybass

Which is what I suggested, unless you're referring to that 4th GB, which both is and isn't max all at the same time.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
artie505 #28885 05/03/14 04:35 PM
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deniro Offline OP
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Anyone else? I'm trying to decide on 3 or 4.

Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28886 05/03/14 04:38 PM
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What you think the difference between these is? Other than two dollars, I mean.

OWC:

4.0GB Upgrade Kit (2.0GB Modules x 2 Matched) -- $57.99
4.0GB Upgrade Kit (2.0GB Modules x 2 Matched) CAS 4 Low-Latency -- $59.99

Re: RAM for Snow Leopard
deniro #28890 05/04/14 01:04 AM
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The low latency might have some positive effect on overall system speed, but as a practical matter it is unlikely enough to be noticeable other than with very sensitive testing software.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein

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