Upgraded from 1GB to 2GB on Powerbook 15" Great Results. [Archive]

james_p

2005-11-02, 19:51

psmith2.0

2005-11-02, 22:22

I've been struggling with this all along. I've had my PowerBook for two years now, and with just the stock 512MB (2 x 256) it came with. But now I feel like I'm so close to something else in 2006...I'm reluctant to spend the money.

However, on my NEXT Mac - right from the start - I'm going to make sure I have at least 1GB, and possibly more (depending on the model). I sometimes regret not getting 1GB or so of RAM a 12-18 months ago.

I notice it when I've got a lot going on. I ALWAYS have Mail, Safari and iTunes running, no matter what. Added to those, any number (2-6) of other programs. 512MB is probably woefully insufficient, huh?

torifile

2005-11-02, 22:38

When I got my current powerbook, the first thing I did was order a 1 gig chip. It was great. I used it for a couple of weeks with the stock 256. Night and day. Well worth budgeting in a few $$ for RAM when you make a purchase. I'll never go below 1 gig again.

james_p

2005-11-03, 07:04

Well, I used to be one of those folks who thought that spending allot of money on extra memory was not needed, in my case. I rationalized that I probably, rarely, would have a multitude of windows open at the same time, well that turned out to be not true.

What really drove me over the edge was when I tried to open this picture up:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/wtc/images/wtc-photo.jpg

Over 9000x9000 pixels a large super hi res photo of New York from the air. Post 9/11. Copy the photo to a folder and use Preview or iPhoto to open and manipulate, zoom it to its fullly expanded resolution. You'll see just how powerful (or lack of power) your machine has.

Luca

2005-11-03, 09:33

I think that is more likely to show off how slow iPhoto and Preview are. Try using another image editing application to compare how fast the programs are.

SonOfSylvanus

2005-11-03, 16:49

I've been struggling with this all along. I've had my PowerBook for two years now, and with just the stock 512MB (2 x 256) it came with. But now I feel like I'm so close to something else in 2006...I'm reluctant to spend the money.

IIRC, I have a very similar system to you pscates. And the difference between 512MB and 1GB makes a lot of difference, let me tell you. For me, it is the difference between completely smooth multi-tasking (10 Apps, usual suspects), and frequent 2-3 second beachballs and furious paging-in/out. I now have a flaky logic board and only one of my two 512MB RAM sticks registers. My system really feels the strain!

I think that even now you would appreciate the extra RAM. And while the promise of MacIntel seems close (it does to me anyway), you _know_ that you should wait for the second revision systems. And anyway, the _first_ revision of a system that fits your needs (mid-range-Mac?) may not come out until a year or more from now.

*sigh*

I wish my board wasn't flaky...

psmith2.0

2005-11-03, 17:12

Good points.

I'd love to give a bit of a "kick in the pants" to my PowerBook. I've got no problem keeping it for another year or so (my AppleCare will expire in one more year, mid-October 2006).

In fact, the ONLY thing that'll make me part with it sooner is that mythical Intel-based wide iBook (which may never come to be, period, I realize).

I wish Apple had some sort of program where you could send your PowerBook back and get one of the faster hard drives, like on their newer PowerBooks. OR, that they'd allow you to do it yourself without dinking the warranty. That's the ONLY reason I don't do it...I'd go put faster, more modern drives in and then my screen or hinge or keyboard would wig out. And Apple would tell me to "bug off" because I voided my warranty, pimping out my PowerBook.

:)

torifile

2005-11-03, 19:04

I was thinking the same thing SoS. It's worth the money, especially if you're waiting a year to get a new machine. If you were to sell it, you'd be able to re-coup some of the costs anyway by selling it for a few $$ more.

sonichart

2005-11-04, 19:46

So I went out to Newegg.com and ordered 2 1Gig memory sticks. (CRUCIAL 1G D333 SO CT12864X335). I already had 1Gig, which I thought was fine until I decided to fire up iPhoto, iTunes, Mail, a few Safari windows, Quicktime, Word, and then checked the system resources and noticed that I had used up almost all of my Ram.

So I spent the money put the memory in and have to say, that everything is faster. The OS loads faster, apps load faster, all around better performance which I did not expect.

Obviously this OS loves Ram, so get as much as you can afford.

How new/old is your 15" PowerBook? I picked up the recently released 1.67ghz model and attempted to upgrade using a Kingston 1GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) and experienced random freeze/crahes with my system.

Has anyone elsed experienced this with Kingston RAM in these systems? The RAM in my system now is currently rated at PC2 4200 (512MB). Should I be looking at the Crucial CT12864AC53E DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200)?

Joolz34

2005-11-06, 09:14

Hi,
Im interested in upgrading the RAM in my powerbook too, I currently have a 15" 1.67 Powerbook, with 1GB (2x512MB). Id like to max it out at 2GB
What I really need to know are what are the "recommended" ram for this notebook, that youve used successfully?
What are the usual prices? (So I dont get ripped off)
Do I have to remove the keyboard to install the 2nd RAM stick?

Sorry for the silly questions but Im new to this whole thing.

Thanks in advance

Joolz

Maciej

2005-11-06, 13:18

PB as such a picky computer, ram wise. I've tried so many chips with endless KPs, and still haven't upgraded. At this point I feel that its more of luck, not really reliable suppliers.

Ram goes in through the little slot on bottom with the 4 different screws, don't be worried about installing it, its easy. Just make sure that your are grounded, aka no static electricity.

I suggest buying ram from OWC, they seem to be quite reliable, and quick shippers usually.

Err, OWC stands for Other World Computing, google em, and use their ram finder, its quite simple.

turtle

2005-11-06, 13:32

OWC is good in my dealings. I have a 1GB stick I got from them for my Mini and they have been really good about the exchange process with me. I have had something like 8 KP's on Nov 2nd and was forced to put my original 256MB stick back in. Boy does RAM make the difference. Anyway, OWC put a new stick in the mail the business day I contacted them and mine is in route back to them right now. This thread (http://forums.applenova.com/showthread.php?t=10911) gives more detail of how much a difference RAM makes.

Joolz34

2005-11-06, 17:37

turtle

2005-11-06, 18:08

How do you test the ram to make sure its good? On windows there was a utility freemem but I dont know how to do it with a mac? I have the original installation/restore discs that came with it - I believe theres some kind of hardware tester on one of them? Is that right?

Thanks again
In my case I pulled out the bad stick and replaced it with a known good stick. This fixed my problems. That's how I know the stick was bad. Sadly it was in a Mini that isn't that easy of a task to open up.

Joolz34

2005-11-06, 18:13

Theres no util that can be run though? i.e. the apple hardware tests to check for it?

Jason

2005-11-06, 20:02

I bought my PB back in June and had Apple put in 2GB just for good measure. I only ever really have iTunes, Safari and Preview on the go together. This much memory is maybe overkill but I like my computing experience to be extremely smooth and pleasureable. After all, isn't that what Apple is supposed to be all about?

Maxing out the memory is also a good idea from the point of view of future proofing. You won't regret it.

regards

Maciej

2005-11-06, 20:48

Umm, I have an Applecare CD that has TechTool Deluxe or Pro or something, that scans ram, if you can get the computer running long enough w/o KP that will do it. Also check version tracker, that has various utilities for it. Furthermore, I think the hardware test will do it... but I'm not sure.

turtle

2005-11-07, 08:46

Theres no util that can be run though? i.e. the apple hardware tests to check for it?
As Maciej said, there are some options out there. The Apple Hardware test didn't show my memory was bad though. I left for a job thing and had my wife run the test over and over again while I was gone and it never had an error. I swapped out the RAM and my KP's went away.

Point is that the tests might not see it anyway.

Maciej

2005-11-07, 11:24

Yeah thats true - basically the problem could be deeper than the tests go.

If I recall correctly the tests are quite basic. They simply write a ton of random numbers into the ram, then read them all back to make sure it is not corrupt. They do this several times. Although you would think this process would catch and problems, it not always does. For example, my problem with Bus Slewing - as I suspect, but you can see other thread for that.

Joolz34

2005-11-07, 11:26

Thats what worries me - I had RAM issues on my AthlonXP desktop a while ago, and all I saw were random freezes etc, it was only when I ran freemem and it highlighted the RAM issues that I was able to resolve the problem. Until then it could have been a multitude of things as you all know.

Are there any "tried and tested" utils out there for these kind of things? i.e. ram testing, file recovery etc? Just stuff that youve used and works.

The reason Im asking all this is because Im thinking about getting 2GB of RAM for my powerbook, but even not using apple its still a fairly expensive investment and Id like to make sure that its ok and avoid the "it could be, couldnt be" phase, especially after reading what you said Turtle.

Joolz

edit: To avoid hijacking the thread topic, Ive moved the app question to general discussion.