The new iMacs: 4GB RAM vs. 8 GB RAM

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142 points

The new iMacs: 4GB RAM vs. 8 GB RAM

Hi all,
I tried the search function but could not locate an answer to my question:

I am in the process of buying an iMac 3.06 and am pondering whether to purchase it with 4GB or 8GB (money is not an object as my institution will pay for it regardless)

I have a few questions:
1) Are there any benefits of using 8GB of RAM in the present day or is it more of a "well suited system for the future" mindset that sets one to purchase an 8GB system?

2)Will I notice any system improvements using 8GB vs. 4GB RAM?

3) Does the current iMacs max out at 6GB of RAM making the other 2GB of the 8GB stick useless??

Thank you in advance for your inputs. and feel free to elaborate on your answers. I would love to learn abit about this stuff

PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5 1.5 GB RAM 23HD Display, PowerBook 15 1.67GHZ, Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Sep 9, 2009 4:03 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,370 points

Sep 9, 2009 4:16 PM in response to Rezf

Most people function just fine with 4 GB of RAM however you may see a performance increase with 8. Without knowing your computing habits or the applications you will be running and how many applications and windows you will have open at the same time now one can tell for sure how much improvment you will have.

My only suggestion is if you decide to get the 8 GB upgrade to NOT buy it from Apple, you can save hundreds of dollars by purchasing from OWC or Crucial both reputable vendors.

The current iMac's max out at 8 GB, this is stated in the specifications located at:

http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html

Regards,

Roger

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Answer 2

Rezf Author

Level 1

142 points

Sep 9, 2009 4:12 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Thank you Roger

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,370 points

Sep 9, 2009 4:16 PM in response to Rezf

Your welcome and thank you for the star.

Regards,

Roger

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Answer 4

rosnbex

Level 1

0 points

Oct 16, 2009 1:03 PM in response to Rezf

Roger, if I may piggyback on this question....

I too am looking to purchase an iMac. I use multiple applications simultaneously (e.g., spreadsheets, Internet, QuickBooks, PhotoShop), but am NOT a gamer. Would there be much of a performance difference between the 2.66, 2.93 and 3.06GHz systems? Thanks!

Ross

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,370 points

Oct 16, 2009 4:51 PM in response to rosnbex

For those applications no there wouldn't be huge difference in performance. My personal opinion is to go with the 2.93 it's the best bang for the buck. I wouldn't stay with the 4 GB of RAM and if you need to purchase additional RAM (you probably won't need to) get it from somewhere like OWC which is considerably less money than Apple.

Last going forward I would recommend starting a new thread, one that has already been answered sometimes aren't referred back to often.

Regards,

Roger

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Answer 6

rosnbex

Level 1

0 points

Oct 16, 2009 7:44 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Thank you! I appreciate your insight. Glad that you referred back to an older thread too. 🙂

Ross

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Answer 7

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,370 points

Oct 16, 2009 10:28 PM in response to rosnbex

Your welcome, by the way I misspoke I intended to say keep your iMac at 4 GB of RAM until you have a need to upgrade (if at all) to 8 GB. If you do decide to take that leap purchase the upgraded memory from someone like OWC which is considerably less expensive than Apple.

Regards,

Roger

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Answer 8

alangsam

Level 1

23 points

Oct 23, 2009 1:04 PM in response to rkaufmann87

well - photoshop is a memory hog.
I am running 6GB on my home imac 2.8. going from 4 to 6 made a big difference with multiple apps and iMovie. I make HD movies and it takes all the memory it has installed.

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Answer 9

Oct 23, 2009 2:13 PM in response to alangsam

About your 2.8....

Any other apps on your system that seemed to run faster with 6 vs. 4?

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Answer 10

alangsam

Level 1

23 points

Oct 23, 2009 2:27 PM in response to David Farah

Well my issue is that I have large iPhoto iMovie and I tunes libraries
always open along with online backup running in backround
safari with mltipke tabs. Their were timed when
it was paging and sytem got very slow. Doesn't happen with 6
if you plan on running fusion or parallels 6 or even 8 is a must

on the other hand if all u r doing is Internet and word
4 or less is fine

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