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NEoPHYte31 · Jul 19, 2002, 06:19 AM

im on a really tight budget purchasing my ibook.

im getting the 12.1, 700, combo.

now..for the RAM question.

is the 640MB deal worth it?

or does 384MB work good enough?

my needs:

surfing the net
documents
DVDs
MP3
Photoshop

Dan Szwarc · Jul 19, 2002, 07:16 AM

Rule: Maximum RAM. Buy all you can afford.

NEoPHYte31 · Jul 19, 2002, 08:06 AM

so would it be better for me just to use the stock 128MB RAM in the ibooks and save cash long enough for a 512MB CHip

tycheung · Jul 19, 2002, 11:02 AM

For some reason, the 512 mb chips are really expensive compared with the 256 mb chips - you can get a 256 mb chip for about $50-$60 at OWC, while the 512 mb chip costs $154. So price/mb wise, the 256 mb chip is better.

gator · Jul 19, 2002, 02:37 PM

The iBook with the stock 128MB is a bit pokey when you try to open several apps at once, but when I added 256MB to get it up to 384MB, it's much smoother now (instead of 6-7 bounces for an app to start loading, it's about 1-3). I think 384 is perfectly fine, but if you're using Photoshop a lot, maybe 640 is the way to go. Haven't used Photoshop so I can't comment on how it runs.

Oh yeah, btw don't buy the extra memory from Apple, get it from somewhere else like OWC, Crucial, or 18004Memory. Apple's memory prices are ridiculous.

[ 07-19-2002, 02:39 PM: Message edited by: gator ]

bleee · Jul 19, 2002, 04:24 PM

I would never buy my ram from Apple they are just too expensive, I can understand their own hardware being expensive but this is RAM were talking about Apple Ram is no different then Crucial or Kingston. I happen to know that Apple uses Kingston Memory the only difference is their Markup.

I had 384MB with my iBook 600Mhz (Late 2001) and than upgraded to 640MB I noticed that it was a bit snappier when drawing windows minimize
maximize. I don't regret upgrading to 640MB atleast I know that if my iBook is slugish it has I can't too much more cuz everything is Maxed out

I suggest stick with base ram and buy more else where save yourself a couple hundred

fulmer · Jul 19, 2002, 05:42 PM

I do not suggest sticking with the base 128 RAM. Sure, buy it like that from apple or elsewhere. I bought my ibook 700 from outpost and saved on sales taxes. got the machine for a solid $1500, well below what you'll pay from apple's own site, often times even with edu discounts.

the 128 RAM was not enough. even having two apps (mozilla and entourage) open at the same time slowed the computer to a grinding, virtual-memory halt. terrible.

2 days ago I added a 256 chip and the difference is night and day. the ibook is running MUCH smoother, and I don't have to worry about mid or high VM use. I'm in Russia right now and was lucky to find an offical Apple partner/dealer in St. Petersburg. Paid $80 for the RAM--no doubt cheaper in the States.

El Diablo · Jul 19, 2002, 06:29 PM

I kinda depends on what OS you're planning to run. 9.2 is okay with less ram, but OSX is a hog. I ran my ibook with 256 for 8 months [3 months full time osx] before ponying up for the 512. It's well worth it especially if you're doing a lot of work in Photoshop.

Ron Goodman · Jul 19, 2002, 07:19 PM

256M is cheap, but since there's only one slot, if you want to upgrade to 640M later you'll have to remove the 256M chip.

skipjack · Jul 19, 2002, 09:30 PM

Here's another review of iBooks and TiBooks from an assembly language programmer's viewpoint:

<a href="http://www.lightsoft.co.uk/zex/zexdevdiary.html" target="_blank">Lightwoft software diary</a>

NEoPHYte31 · Jul 19, 2002, 10:02 PM

well, where i live (Philippines) SODIMM RAM is VERY VERY expensive!

a 256MB would cost u $100 and this is not from apple...
a 512MB RAM would cost u $300!!!

so thats why im stil trying to decide..

Wagnerite · Jul 21, 2002, 04:25 AM

i have a 600 combo, i actually ordered the 512 chip before i bought the ibook. base on my experience of owning laptops, you eventually WILL max out the ram anyway. Now, with the pb1400 that i still have, it has two "slots" (piggy back ram, remember those) so i was able to get by with one chip (48 or something like that, but eventually i maxed it out, yes, all the way up to 64mb.

with ibooks you can't do that, you only have one slot, so if you buy a 256 now, later on when (yes, when, b/c you WILL start to wonder how much better it is with 640mb) you get your 512 chip, you'll be trying like heck to sell ytou 256 cheap on ebay. too much hassle for me, just max it out now. If you can't afford it, then just grin and bear the 128mb for as long as you can. I know having a mac and limit it's multitasking ability sucks hairy balls, but you'll be happier down the line.

i vote for grin and bear it untill you can afford the 512 chip.

i got mine for 120 bucks (nov. 01) from bundletech in riverside cali (forgot their addy now, try bundletech.com)

klinux · Jul 21, 2002, 09:34 AM

Personally, I think 256 MB offers a better value which is how am I currently running my iBook (700Mhz). It is still the slowest of all my machines (the others are Wintel) but it is fine for what I use the iBook for.

No one is going to dispute that 640 MB offers better performance but personally speaking, the opportunity cost of the difference in 256 and 512 MB would be better utilized when I upgrade or purchase a new Mac in the next 12-18 months.

pat++ · Jul 21, 2002, 12:00 PM

384Mb is enough. 512Mb chips are still much too expensive and you won't notice any significant difference between 384 and 640Mb for what you plan to do...

7Macfreak · Jul 21, 2002, 01:41 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by pat++:
384Mb is enough. 512Mb chips are still much too expensive and you won't notice any significant difference between 384 and 640Mb for what you plan to do...<hr /></blockquote>yep, for most of your needs (except photoshop maybe) 384 should be fine. so go for the 256Mb chip.

Sosa · Jul 21, 2002, 05:08 PM

I am facing the same dilemna as neophyte31. I am on a student budget and will be ordering my iBook in a couple of weeks. I have been checking memory prices and the ratio of cost between a 256 chip and 512 chip is 1:3. Normally one would expect a maximum ration of 1:2 being that the 256 is half of 512. One usually sees a cost savings for the larger product as a way to entice you to spend more, but this does not seem to be the case with memory.

At crucial.com a stick of 256mb is $59 (with a coupon) but a stick of 512 is $212! This is almost 4 times more! But of course you do not get 4x improvement in performance, not even a 2x. Therefore the cost difference does not justify the performance difference. I am buying the 256 chip and so should you. But the time you actually feel a need for more ram the cost of 512mb will surely be more reasonable.

klinux · Jul 21, 2002, 07:02 PM

I bought mine (256 MB) from Crucial too. Recommended.

biscuit · Jul 23, 2002, 07:41 AM

I'd have to go with the "Max it out now and avoid collecting old SODIMMS" philosophy on this one. I bought a 512 Mb chip for my iBook because I knew one day I'd want the maximum, by which time a 256 chip would be worthless. Yes it was expensive, but I reckon less than buying a 256 and then a 512 later.

The performance improvement in OSX was great and my little non-Radeon iBook is also future-proofed a bit more.

At the end of the day, stick to these rules:

Spend less than you can afford on yourself
Spend what you can afford on your loved ones
Spend more than you can afford on RAM

biscuit

ymmit · Jul 23, 2002, 11:49 AM

i gotta agree.. your needs may change in the future, and with only 1 SO-DIMM slot, better to max it out with 512mb RAM.

the alternative is to wait a while if you don't REALLY need it now; RAM prices fluctuate (at least where I live), so can always buy later if you don't need it now.

Verdict: 512mb RAM.

iamnid · Jul 23, 2002, 12:54 PM

I disagree -- by the time the original poster needs the extra memory, it'll probably cost what the 256mb module costs today so he/she will still save money.

natan · Jul 25, 2002, 03:28 AM

another question: is there any convincing reason not to get the cheapest ram listed on this page?

<a href="http://dealram.com/prices/systems/6/256MB.html" target="_blank">http://dealram.com/prices/systems/6/256MB.html</a>

thanks!
nathan

anly · Aug 1, 2002, 11:44 AM

I purchased from RamJet a 512MB stick 144pin SO-Dimm for my FP-iMac.
Its costs US$129 and shipping was 9 dollars, totaling $138 via fedex 2nd day. I'm currently in CA so no sales tax too!! ( Over here its 8%..not as much as Canada but geez..)

I originally ordered from crucial, because I used to buy from them, but they were too expensive. So I cancelled and saved myself 50 bucks. I also got ram for my Pismo 512MB from Transintl.com for About $130 that s was a while back.....

Eug · Aug 1, 2002, 01:26 PM

iBook 600.

Had 384. Worked great, except in rare situations.
Now have 640. Works great overall.

In most situations where I was doing what you seem to want to do, I noticed no difference between 384 and 640. Mind you, my Photoshop needs are pretty limited. I don't usually work with 100 MB images.

I suggest 384 if you need to save money, for the things you'll be doing. However, if you're going to be using VirtualPC or something then you'll want 640.

[ 08-01-2002, 01:28 PM: Message edited by: Eug ]

kentuckyfried · Aug 1, 2002, 02:43 PM

Thanks guys, I needed to know the same answer too. I might need to run VPC so I'm just going to load it to the max memory when I buy this weekend.

losta · Aug 1, 2002, 05:06 PM

I just bought 512MB PC 133 PNY brand notebook memory at CompUSA for $99 once I get the $20 rebate. It is the cheapest price I could find this week. If you plan to use Photoshop get the most memory!

NDBounce · Aug 3, 2002, 01:33 AM

Originally posted by NEoPHYte31
im on a really tight budget purchasing my ibook.

im getting the 12.1, 700, combo.

now..for the RAM question.

is the 640MB deal worth it?

or does 384MB work good enough?

my needs:

surfing the net
documents
DVDs
MP3
Photoshop

Pending on how tight of a budget you have. If you are like me, and want an iMac, can't afford an eMac and use an iBook Rev A, I's say 384 will probably be enough. But, I do believe in the golden rule of getting as much memory as you can afford. But by virtue of the fact that you are using an iBook, I'm assuming that the photoshop stuff you are planning on doing isn't hard core photoshop, and therefore I'd say, if you can't afford the memory, don't break the bank when you can get a 256 chip cheap (or a 128 chip for free or close to it). I have 288MB on my iBook Rev A, and I use OS X and do some light photoshop on the machine (mainly to clean up photos or make them web usable).

Peace,

O
B unce!

P.S. Ever since yesterday's upgrade these forums are rendering funky...I'm seeing a lot of HTML code rather than blue underlined hyperlinks and pics. Anyone else experienceing this? Anyone know how to fix it?