Possible Memory Upgrade for eMac

Use the information here and here to determine which eMac you have and the upgrade options for it.

(51002)

This link gives the instructions for installing RAM in an eMac.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1319

 Cheers, Tom 😉

I have a 1Ghz, PowerPC G4 (3.3) machine.

Please check to see if "3.3" is a typo. A "PowerMac3,3" is a G4 Cube, not an eMac, and has different RAM requirements.

In System Profiler, eMacs had either the code "PowerPC (4,4)" or "PowerPC (6,4)" and that makes a difference in the type and amount of RAM it takes. This is especially important on the 1G machines because, although most were the older 4,4 version, there were some uncataloged 6,4 versions that took the same RAM payload as the later eMacs.

If not possible where can I find 512MB sdram's cheap?

Knowing your geographic location would help people better respond this question. If you are in North America, it will be cheaper. I web-order all my RAM from either of these two Mac-savvy vendors:

eMac RAM at DMS

or

eMac RAM at OWC

Crucial sells excellent RAM but I find their "configurator" is frustratingly strict and they will not recommend more RAM than in the original Apple machine specs, which are often outdated. One example affects the eMacs: when the faster eMac "6,4" logic board version was released, you could get only 512MB RAM modules that met the original spec of 1G max. Now, you can get 1G modules to take a 6,4 eMac to 2 GB without issues, but Crucial will not modify their "finder to adjust for this, whereas the two vendors I link show "real world" possibilities.

"Cheap" it ain't, but I trust either firm to sell you the right RAM. Other places offer PC133 RAM (assuming you have the earlier eMac) that is designed around peecee specs and may not work in a Mac. Avoid auction RAM unless you know the vendor well enough to order his favorite beer for him at the local watering hole. The number of posts in these forum about getting the wrong RAM from an auction site are staggering in number.

If you want cheap, you should consider looking up a Mac Users Group in your area. They often can work out swaps or will simply give away RAM they don't need.

Good info. I was typing from my G4 tower at the time and not from either of the eMacs in the house so I failed to note that you had actually posted the CPU type, which can be shared among models.

So the max RAM for your computer is 1G (2 X 512MB)

Our oldest eMac is the original 700 and I recently upgraded it from 384MB (1x256 + 1 X 128MB) to 768MB (replaced the 128 with a 512MB) to support Tiger and it runs pretty well at that amount. If cost is an issue, you could add one 256MB if yo have one 512 now. That certainly worked OK for our older and slower eMac.

Use System Profiler's "Memory" section to verify that you have one 512 and not two 256s before you order. That's the easiest way to view the RAM slot usage.

For some reason Mac PC133 RAM is a little pricey. There must not have been many models that used it.

Anyway, I've bought all my RAM from one of those two vendors for something close to a decade and am a very satisfied customer. The only time I got RAM that wouldn't work was for an old G3 PowerBook that we were pushing beyond its original capacity. DMS worked with me to figure out the very unusual problem (when exceeding the original RAM payload on one version of the processor board, the machine required a matching number of chips on the RAM modules) rather than say "You're out on a limb all alone."