User profile for user: robinforst
robinforst Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

upgrade ram in imac g4 1.25ghz

I wish to upgrade my ram in my imac g4 1.25ghz. I presently have 256 mb in memory slot j20 and 512mb in memory slot j22. What is the max ram i can upgrade to and is only the one slot upgradeable.

imac g4 1.25ghz, Mac OS X (10.3.x)

Posted on Nov 15, 2007 6:13 PM

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User profile for user: mrtotes
mrtotes
User level: Level 6
11,836 points

Nov 16, 2007 1:04 AM in response to robinforst

Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions.

The maximum RAM for the iMac G4 1.25GHz is 2GB which is made up of 1GB in both the "user-accessible" SODIMM slot and 1GB in the "factory-accessible" DIMM slot. Both slots need PC2700 333MHz DDR SDRAM.

Both are upgradable but it depends how confident you are with a Torx screwdriver.

If you truly need 2GB of RAM, I'd question why upgrade a G4 Mac and advise saving the money towards a new iMac; they are so much faster.

The next question also has to be do you actually need more RAM?

Mac OS X: Reading system memory usage in Activity Monitor.


The easy option to upgrade is to replace the J22 (User) slot SODIMM with a 1GB module.



If you wish to see guidance on upgrading the J20 (Factory) slot I'm happy to post that.


mrtotes

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User profile for user: mrtotes
mrtotes
User level: Level 6
11,836 points

Nov 21, 2007 12:19 PM in response to jonathanapple

Hello and Welcome to Apple Discussions.

The internal ("factory") and the "user-accessible" slots are different. Although they use the same specification of RAM the physical sizes are different. The factory-slot being a DIMM and the user-slot being an SODIMM.


You need the Airport Extreme card for this iMac:

Airport Extreme card (link).


mrtotes

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User profile for user: bkingbking
bkingbking
User level: Level 1
16 points

Nov 16, 2007 7:30 AM in response to robinforst

I just upgraded my iMac G4 17" 1.25GHz "egg shaped" machine to 2GB RAM (from 768MB). I also have a Macbook Pro Core 2 Duo.

Apple specs indicate that the iMac G4 only supports up to 1GB RAM (max of 512MB in factory slot which requires Torx screwdriver & some thermal paste; and max of 512MB in slot that is much easier to access). However, my iMac G4 17" machine was built in December 2003 and I don't believe 1GB sticks of RAM were available at that time. Thus, the machine will support more than 1GB RAM.

All told, I spent about $135 to upgrade both slots using 1GB sticks. Noticeable improvement when using graphics.

Best of Luck!
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User profile for user: skorndz
skorndz
User level: Level 1
0 points

Nov 16, 2007 6:51 PM in response to bkingbking

I also have a G4 1.25 GHz that I'd like to upgrade. Seems like the general recommendation is to upgrade the user slot with a 200 pin DDR PC2700 SoDimm.

This may be a stupid question, but has anyone tried a 200 pin DDR2 SoDimm chip? I guess I'd be surprised if they were interchangeable, but they do each have 200 pins. I suppose the voltages might be different, but I thought I'd ask, since the DDR2 chips can be had for around $30 and the older DDR chips run at least $100.
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User profile for user: Luis Pereira
Luis Pereira
User level: Level 1
0 points

Nov 18, 2007 1:41 PM in response to mrtotes

Hello,

My computer is a 1.25Ghz 20" Flat Panel iMac running 333MHz DDR 2700.
Sometime ago you posted instructions on how to upgrade the factory slot from 256 Mb to 1Gb, and I have followed them to the letter; in that same thread i also picked up on upgrading the user slot to 1Gb and i even purchased the memory on the link provided.
After I am done with the task, user slot reads 512Mb instead of the 1Gb I was hoping for.

Lest the label is wrong in the purchased half of the kit, what else could be wrong with the "1Gb installed in the user slot?

Thank you
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User profile for user: jonathanapple
jonathanapple
User level: Level 1
0 points

Nov 21, 2007 5:42 AM in response to robinforst

I have the same setup as the OP (my imac is the 20" version). Can I move the 512mb currently in the user accessible slot to the internal slot and stick a new 1gb module in the user slot or are they different types of ram? Also do I need an airport extreme card for this imac or just the regular airport card?

If you can post instructions for accessing the internal memory slot that would be grand 🙂

Thanks for any help guys.

Jonathan
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User profile for user: Brentk
Brentk
User level: Level 1
19 points

Nov 28, 2007 2:21 PM in response to mrtotes

I'm ordering some memory to upgrade a couple of these machines, and according to some sources,

http://www.edgetechcorp.com/memory/upgrade.asp?cid=15515

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/apple-imac-g4-1/4507-3118_7-30540036.html?tag=s pecs

It uses 184pin SODIMMs, not 200. However, they both also say a max of 1GB, but as one other poster pointed out, RAM wasn't available in larger sizes at the time, so maybe that limitation is artificial...

So, 200pin, or 184pin?
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User profile for user: mrtotes
mrtotes
User level: Level 6
11,836 points

Nov 28, 2007 2:31 PM in response to Brentk

There is no such thing as 184pin SODIMMs. 🙂

You can install a 200pin SODIMM or 184pin DIMM. The iMac G4 1.25GHz has one of each slot but the 184pin DIMM slot is "AASP-accessible" only (although it's not too difficult to upgrade if you wish).

I have had 1.5GB running in my iMac 1.25GHz since Sep 05.

mrtotes

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User profile for user: mrtotes
mrtotes
User level: Level 6
11,836 points

Nov 28, 2007 5:33 PM in response to Brentk

Additional I couldn't add earlier due to snags with AD:

I would recommend installing one 1GB PC2700 333MHz 200pin DDR SDRAM SODIMM in each.

http://www.canadaram.com/macram.html

Look at the 1024MB 'User' upgrades on this page.


The information above does not apply to 700/800MHz iMacs.


<hr width="222">


I haven't installed Leopard on the iMac 1.25GHz but it works like a dream on the 1GHz Powerbook G4/1GB RAM. There is no discernable difference for Internet surfing and office tasks between the 1GHz G4 and 2.8GHz Merom XE. 🙂


cheers


mrtotes

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User profile for user: bkingbking
bkingbking
User level: Level 1
16 points

Nov 28, 2007 5:44 PM in response to mrtotes

I've installed Leopard on both my MBP C2D 2.33GHz and iMac G4 1.25GHz 17" and it works great. The iMac has 2GB of RAM and the disk definitely spins-up less if I have a couple of applications running simultaneously.

The only issue I have with the iMac G4 is that iLife 2008 (iMovie to be exact) is not supported. You have to use an older version of iMovie. Of course, this has nothing to do with Leopard.
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upgrade ram in imac g4 1.25ghz

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