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1.25gb RAM... Will I appreciate the difference?


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1.25gb RAM... Will I appreciate the difference?
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screensaver400
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Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-03-14, 20:17

I've got a 12" Rev. D Powerbook with the stock 512mb of RAM. I'm thinking of taking out the 256 stick and popping in a 1 gig stick, to bring the total to 1.25gb.

I mainly use the machine for internet stuff, school, watching movies, and some creative stuff (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc). What I'm really trying to get is snappyness-- I don't want any hang in clicks. I don't want the spinning beach ball. I want the machine to respond quickly... I want things as snappy as Rice Krispies.

My question: Will bringing up the ram to 1.25 do that? Or will it just make the more intense activities easer?
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Wyatt
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2005-03-14, 20:25

I don't know that it would give you a MASSIVE jump, but more than doubling your RAM is never a bad thing. I'd say if you can afford it, go for it. It will improve your performance, but I don't know how much you really expect.
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screensaver400
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Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-03-14, 20:33

I'm not expecting a Quad 3Ghz G5 out of it... I just want the computer to be able to keep up with me. I don't even have a problem with waiting for a program to start. I just want the effect of Dashboard loading to be smooth, and for Safari windows to close immediately. Stuff like that.
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frizz
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Join Date: Mar 2005
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2005-03-14, 20:36

Dashboard... do you mean Expose?
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screensaver400
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Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-03-14, 20:38

Ahem... I mean Konfabulator.

Its not like I have build 8a393 or anything......
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Brad
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2005-03-14, 20:43

Photoshop, et al. are all RAM hogs and would see a great benefit by maxing out the RAM. I have 1.25 GB in my 1.33 GHz 12" PowerBook and I practically never get stalls and spinning cursors waiting for pages to swap. The only times I get that cursor are when apps have genuinely stalled for some other reason.

The quality of this board depends on the quality of the posts. The only way to guarantee thoughtful, informative discussion is to write thoughtful, informative posts. AppleNova is not a real-time chat forum. You have time to compose messages and edit them before and after posting.
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screensaver400
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Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-03-14, 20:49

Great, thats the sort of endorsement I was looking for.

My funding is anything but unlimited. I found this ram on newegg... Its got good reviews. Anyone have an objection to it?
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...155-111&depa=0
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Wraven
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Texas
 
2005-03-14, 21:20

Do a search for the maker of that RAM you linked (KingMax) on this board and you will find many mixed reviews.

Last edited by Wraven : 2005-03-14 at 22:23.
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baaron
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Join Date: Feb 2005
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2005-03-14, 22:12

I cannot reccomend Crucial (www.crucial.com) enough. I've referred to it multiple times in the past.

You'll definitely see an increase in performance, especially when you're running Azureus and Konfabulator in the background all the time... (I know I do!)

Go for it. It will make your machine just that much more snappier, especially with the slow 5400rpm drive.

EDIT: Yet another drive speed boo-boo by yours truly.

I like Bawls and Rocket Fuel! (See http://www.xoxide.com/)

D00D, like 1337 totally man, have you seen Anchorman???

Last edited by baaron : 2005-03-15 at 02:49.
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screensaver400
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Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-03-14, 22:49

I'm proud to say that, as I own a Rev D powerbook, I have a 5400 rpm drive. :-D

I would buy from Crucial. But the fact that their prices are more than double those of the Kingmax make me willing to take a chance. NewEgg does have good return/refund policies, after all.
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Wyatt
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2005-03-14, 23:22

I've never gone wrong with Corsair Value Select memory, either. They usually sell for fairly cheap on NewEgg. I definitely recommend them (although I've never used their laptop memory... since I don't have my laptop yet)
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reidman
New Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2005-03-15, 15:42

I got the 1GB Kingmax stick from Newegg. It works great so far. Good luck.
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Franz Josef
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London, Europe
 
2005-03-15, 16:45

Quote:
Originally Posted by screensaver400
I've got a 12" Rev. D Powerbook with the stock 512mb of RAM. I'm thinking of taking out the 256 stick and popping in a 1 gig stick, to bring the total to 1.25gb.

I mainly use the machine for internet stuff, school, watching movies, and some creative stuff (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc). What I'm really trying to get is snappyness-- I don't want any hang in clicks. I don't want the spinning beach ball. I want the machine to respond quickly... I want things as snappy as Rice Krispies.

My question: Will bringing up the ram to 1.25 do that? Or will it just make the more intense activities easer?
More is always better though I'm not sure the difference will be readily perceptible. My RAM use meter is often above 512 MB but below 1 GB (I have 1.25 GB 12" PB) - which I take me mean 1GB Ok but 512 MB too low for multiple apps / movies / photos
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