Upgrade to snow leopard and then to lion, or don't upgrade at all?

Question

Upgrade to snow leopard and then to lion, or don't upgrade at all?

So, I have an iMac (late 2009) running mac os x 10.5.8 and windows 7 ultimate with a 250GB hard drive and 2GB RAM. I would like to upgrade to Lion, but then I would have to buy the snow leopard upgrade too. Do you think it's worth it to only be able to use some of the features in snow leopard (because the computer is not 64-bit, and because of the graphics card) and then upgrade to Lion, or should I just wait until I get a new computer (probably an iMac) in like 4 or 5 years? Will I notice a difference in the speed of my computer?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8), iPod Touch

Posted on Jun 18, 2011 6:14 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Jun 18, 2011 6:24 PM in response to macandwindows

First, whether it's worth it to upgrade is only a decision your can make. All the features of Lion can be reviewed here.

Second, Lion requires at least 2 GBs of RAM, so you would need to put more RAM in your computer. You can install up to 16 GBs.

Third, your computer is 64-bit.

Fourth, what graphic card is in your model? Several options were available all of which are more than ample for Lion.

Fifth, Lion will probably perform better than Leopard.

Sixth, you will have to upgrade to Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later in order to purchase and install Lion. Lion is only going to be available through the Mac App Store.

Reply

Answer 2

Jun 19, 2011 6:56 AM in response to Kappy

Thanks for the great answer. The graphic card is NVIDIA GeForce 9400. Is it expensive to put more RAM into the computer? And, can Apple do it, or do you have to send it to a third party dealer? (I'm guessing taking it to another dealer is cheaper.)

Reply

Answer 3

den.thed

Level 9

77,326 points

Jun 19, 2011 7:08 AM in response to macandwindows

RAM is user upgradeable, have a look at your iMac's User's Guide and at > iMac: How to remove or install memory

Plus both OWC and Crucial sell lifetime RAM upgrades for your iMac at a much better price than Apple.

Upgrade Apple iMac Memory & more – Easy Guide, Free Installation Videos.

Crucial Memory Upgrades for Macs - Apple Memory

Dennis

Reply

Answer 4

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,796 points

Jun 19, 2011 7:07 AM in response to macandwindows

Installing RAM is something you can easily do if you can turn 3 screws. Here is an install video showing you how it's done. Fortunately RAM is very inexpensive, you can buy it from vendors such as Crucial or OWC, I'd recommend OWC because they specialize in Macs, have great support and good prices. Please click on the OWC link, I've set it up so it will take you to the correct RAM for your machine. You can upgrade your iMac to up to 16GB of RAM. If you want to speak to them you can call them or also do a video chat, they're open 7 days a week.

Reply