I have been trying to download and install OSX El Capitan for 3 days. Tonight I read my Mac should have more than 8 GB memory. Max on my Mac would be 8GB. What can, or should I do?

The minimal RAM requirement to run El Capitan should be well within the amount the

computer has installed or was shipped with. Only when you choose to run memory

heavy software in addition to the OS X, would there be a possibility of issue.

And depending on where you read the specific warning, it may have applied to the

amount of free space in the hard drive, be it an SSD, PCI-Flash, or an HDD. The

capacity in the storage of your computer is usually an issue when downloading any

new applications or software. If the drive is too full of content, it could compromise

the usefulness of the computer. As some files may be damaged when drive is overfull.

Please read the instruction again to see if they refer to the capacity remaining in the

computer drive storage, and not the physical random access memory installed...

Check to see if the hard drive or other internal storage is within limits of unused

capacity, so as to not over-fill the storage drive. The limit you mention is usually

associated with this and not necessarily the RAM memory. Though limits also do

apply where system RAM is involved.

If the RAM is also too low (more is better) and if your computer is one of those models

which allow the on-board memory chips to be exchanged, removed, and replaced, it

may be a good idea to contact an Mac - centric reseller of parts for specific Apple

portable computers, and get the correct spec RAM to upgrade the 4GB to more...

You can check with macsales.com or crucial.com online for RAM upgrade & specs.

Be sure to identify your MacBook exactly to be sure the correct parts are bought.

Also, if attempting large downloads of system software or new full OS X versions

you may need to see if you can use Ethernet cable and not wi-fi AirPort since the

speed and stability of the connection may be significantly improved. If you do not

have adequate internet access, your experience may be faulty. I'd be wary of an

upgrade to an all-new system if your computer is too old. Research it in advance.

Plus, you may be able to get assistance to upgrade from an Apple Store where

there is a genius bar, check in advance if you're not too far from one of those.

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

Had the same problem; older iMac. Followed suggestion of AcrobaticWhales and changed my DNS to 203.122.233.11. Firefox/internet wouldn't recognize new DNS. returned and changed back to my old DNS (be sure to write the old one down in case computer does not retain it). Went back to El Capitan download and was able to complete process in 2 hours 17 minutes. Then rebooted and was up & running in another hour. To change DNS go to System Preferences - Network - Advanced - DNS. Change address to above after writing down your current DNS. Activate and try it out. Will probably not work. Go back and delete the above address and your original address should return. If not type in your original address. go back to download and things should go fine.