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random precision
2006-05-27, 10:04
do you think the price hike from 1GB to 2GB RAM in the MacBook is worth the extra cost in terms of performance? indeed, how much better is the performance?

please note, i'm not considering purchasing third party RAM, however silly this might seem to some.
JK47
2006-05-27, 10:27
No. Unless you're running some heavy duty "rendering" type applications, it's definitely not worth it. I upgraded from 1 GB to 1.5 GB's and I can't notice any difference. Spend the money on the 7200 RPM HD and save what's left.
Wyatt
2006-05-27, 10:35
do you think the price hike from 1GB to 2GB RAM in the MacBook is worth the extra cost in terms of performance? indeed, how much better is the performance?

please note, i'm not considering purchasing third party RAM, however silly this might seem to some.
If you refuse to buy from somewhere else, then it's not worth it at all. Not even close.
patrickatm08
2006-05-27, 11:18
Go with the 1GB, if you need more, buy it then, RAM, like most technology, is always dropping in price.
Sketch
2006-05-27, 11:21
please note, i'm not considering purchasing third party RAM, however silly this might seem to some. for sure it sounds silly. :D. No don't, unless you are rich enough to not to care.
Jason
2006-05-27, 12:21
You can never have enough RAM.
I thought maxing out my G4 1.67 with 2GB of RAM would mean I was immune from Spinning Beachballs, yet I still get them.
Meltedbutter421
2006-05-27, 12:52
may i ask why you wont consider third party RAM?
(just curious)
krinsome
2006-05-27, 12:58
may i ask why you wont consider third party RAM?
(just curious)

When I bought my macbook I bought payed Apple's ridiculous price for RAM, because it's convienent. I figured I'd tell myself I'd buy more RAM later, but then end up never doing it and complain about my MacBook's performance. Running photoshop in Rosetta with 2GB of RAM is really nice.:)
turtle
2006-05-27, 13:33
I have 1GB on my MB and it makes a big difference. I don't know how big a deal it will make for going up to 2GB. As a rule though, more it better when it comes to RAM. Plus if you max out now, you won't have to later. This will save you money in the long run since you won't be paying to upgrade twice.
random precision
2006-05-27, 14:21
may i ask why you wont consider third party RAM?
(just curious)

i live in spain, and where i live Macs are few and far between. i've not found an outlet close to me which stocks RAM for Macs. on top of that, i have a bad postal service (stuff i've ordered over the web has gone missing), so ordering online fills me with dread. if i did decide to upgrade to 2GB, i'd much rather have the peice of mind of having pre-installed memory by apple (who ship registered, free of charge). i do realise that i'm chucking euros down the pan if i do decide to max the MacBook out, but i was curious as to whether posters felt it was worth it, paying the apple premium.
Brad
2006-05-27, 14:29
i live in spain, and where i live Macs are few and far between. i've not found an outlet close to me which stocks RAM for Macs.
Keep in mind that there's nothing special about "Mac RAM". Apple's computers use the same generic RAM that other desktop and notebook PCs around the world use.
turtle
2006-05-27, 14:33
...snip...
i do realise that i'm chucking euros down the pan if i do decide to max the MacBook out, but i was curious as to whether posters felt it was worth it, paying the apple premium.
This really depends on what you are going to be doing with your MB. If you're going to be using Safari, Mail and iTunes then 1GB should be fine. If you ever plan to do more with it than that, then yes. If you really think you can't get another shipper to send registered like Apple, then pay for it.

Personally, I think you really could find a good place to order the RAM from that will ensure it gets to your house. That's up to you though.
badtzmaru
2006-05-28, 00:50
I decided to get a MacBook now (rather than wait for Merom CPUs) since I can still get a good price for my old PowerBook on eBay. I'm getting the $1299 MacBook with 60GB so I'd have 2GHz MB with a Superdrive in it.

RAM: I want 2GB installed, but rather than go with Apple's ram for $500 extra, I went with 3rd party ram from MacSales.com for $225 plus shipping. I'm saving over $250 on RAM this way.

HARD DRIVE: I wanted a 120GB hard drive, but rather than go with Apple's 120GB hard drive for $250 extra, I bought a 120GB hard drive from Computer Giants via Pricegrabber for about $170 plus shipping. After I'm done upgrading the MacBook's hard drive to 120GB, I'll then have a leftover 60GB hard drive that I can either toss into the enclosure or sell on eBay.

Doing your own upgrades on a MacBook looks relatively easy for anyone...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c6ckjy-gdY

...I'd just use a static wrist strap to do the work.

Hopefully I'll have all my bits and pieces and have my dream MacBook together by friday. I think the 2GB is useful for video apps from iMovie to Final Cut Pro.