Memory upgrade for mini (Core Duo - 1.66GHz)

[hutchtoo]

Hi, I'd appreciate some advice for a mini memory upgrade, specifically: (1) optimal chip for my situation and (2) best 3d-party sources.

1) I'm hoping that upgrading from the stock 512MB up to 1GB will be sufficient for multi-tasking between Mail, Firefox, Office and iTunes. Should I suck it up and go higher than 1GB? Right now, this system feels very slow compared to my old Dell, and I want to get this right the first time.
(was really hoping to spend well under $100:\ )

2) Can anyone recommend some reputable, economical sources for mac hardware?

Many thanks.

[hiltond]

For Mail, Office, Firefox and iTunes you should be fine with 1GB of RAM. As far as I can tell, Firefox is probably what will use the most RAM. Browsers are frequently on the top of my memory usage stats, even with large files open. It seems that as you navigate around, RAM usage really increases. You could close the browser every so often and see if that speeds things up, before you buy more RAM.

Do you use dashboard? If not you will want to make sure you don't have widgets using up a lot of Ram. If you do use it, more RAM is right for you. Widgets love RAM and a few open Widgets add up quickly.

Find a vendor that can give you a good price and order. I have been happy with Other World Computing, and they have some chips for ~$50. Many people will probably tell you to order some from famous brands, like Crucial or Samsung. Price it out and see what works best for you, keeping in mind that OS X seems to be very particular about RAM.

[hutchtoo]

Thanks for the suggestions.

No, I don't use dashboard. This may sound silly, but I found the UI so confusing, every time I try to load a widget it disappears. Wish I could get a calendar or weather widget to stay on the desktop perpetually. It was so easy with Windows, I must be doing something wrong here.

I bought my external HD from OWC and was quite happy with that puchase, maybe will go ahead and pick up some RAM there too.

[PB PM]

Widgets don't stay on the destop, if you don't click on a widget (on the destop) Dashboard closes.