[Seamus]

I'm looking at pricewatch.com, and they're selling a 2gb pc3200 DIMM. The top two g5 models have pc3200 slots, so what's preventing you from putting 8 2gb's into the machine? Is 8gb really the limit?

[chabig]

I think you're confusing gigabits with gigabytes. A 2Gb (gigabit) DIMM is really 256 MB (megabytes.) 256MB is a very common DIMM size, these days. 512MB DIMMs are also available. I couldn't find any 1GB DIMMs in my quick search, but Apple says the machine can use 8 of them for a max of 8GB.

Beyond that, you're on your own. The G5 tech specs page says 1GB DIMMs are the largest it can take.

Chris

[Scotttheking]

Apple always lists their max ram by what is available at the time. Sometimes that really is the max, sometimes it's not.
I expect the machines to be able to use 16GB.

[Seamus]

Originally posted by chabig:
I think you're confusing gigabits with gigabytes. A 2Gb (gigabit) DIMM is really 256 MB (megabytes.) 256MB is a very common DIMM size, these days. 512MB DIMMs are also available. I couldn't find any 1GB DIMMs in my quick search, but Apple says the machine can use 8 of them for a max of 8GB.

Beyond that, you're on your own. The G5 tech specs page says 1GB DIMMs are the largest it can take.

Chris

No, 2 gigabytes. Look at pricewatch.com, under RAM.

[DeathMan]

When have you ever seen memory of any kind advertised in bits? Only datarates go in bits.

[bartman00]

It's listed as $1099 a stick!!!! Are they on CRACK!

One more thing.. I'm no systems expert but I do like reading up on things.. The question.. as I understand it the larger the ammount of ram you start to run into more overhead when addressing it, that's why most servers use registered ram. Am I on the right track with this? if so why dosn't the new G5 use registered DDR?

Bart

[mousehouse]

registered ram has input buffers that decrease the capacitive loading on the memory bus. in servers, which usually have loads of memory, this actually gives higher reliability.

"regular" memory for desktops usually is not of the "registered" type because it's more expensive and unneeded in the low-chipcount memory modules used.

[chabig]

Gigabits vs gigabytes...OK I stand corrected. That's amazing pricing, though...huge difference between 1GB and 2GB DIMMs!

Chris

[reader50]

An Apple technote that gives a comparison table between G4 and G5. Note the last row:

http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn2087.html

The current G5 can indeed address 16 GB. However, the G4 entries in the table confuse some 7400/7410 specs with some 744x/745x specs.

[stuffedmonkey]

ther 2 gig chips demand a hefty premium because they are scarce. It will be a while before the demand gets high enough for more then a small few manufacturers to produce them.

Also - Apple often specs it's machines at less then the amount of ram they are physically capable of recognising.

[Thain Esh Kelch]

Originally posted by reader50:
An Apple technote that gives a comparison table between G4 and G5. Note the last row:

http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn2087.html

The current G5 can indeed address 16 GB. However, the G4 entries in the table confuse some 7400/7410 specs with some 744x/745x specs.

Nice link, thxx!

[Graymalkin]

As already noted, Apple always states their maximum memory limit in terms of what they supply on order. Because 2GB DIMMs are extraordinarily expensive and very low volume at this point Apple doesn't offer them. Because they don't offer 2GB DIMMs they advertise the upper bound of the RAM as only 8GB because they do carry 1GB DIMMs. They've been doing that for a very long time.

I remember the published RAM limit of the Wallstreet and Lombard Powerbooks was 384MB. The lower memory slot of these laptops needed low profile SODIMM chips, When the Wallstreet and Lombards were in production low profile 256MB SODIMMs weren't widely available so the 384MB RAM limit was calculated assuming a 128MB lower chip and a 256MB standard profile upper chip. If you were brave enough to pop out the daughter card of your Wallstreet or Lombard once low profile 256MB DIMMs became available you could have 512MB or more in your Powerbook.

When production of 2GB DDR DIMMs increases Apple will likely carry them and artificially raise the memory limit of the G5s to 16GB. I would say that a grand for memory you don't likely need at the moment is a little much. At 20% of the price you can have 8GB of RAM in a G5 which is nothing to sneeze at.

[tooki]

Originally posted by reader50:
An Apple technote that gives a comparison table between G4 and G5. Note the last row:

http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn2087.html

The current G5 can indeed address 16 GB. However, the G4 entries in the table confuse some 7400/7410 specs with some 744x/745x specs.

That doesn't mean that the memory controller is capable of addressing 16GB of RAM.

Sure, you can physically fit 2GB of RAM into my blue and white G3, and the G3 chip is theoretically capable of addressing it. But the memory controller can't, so my max is 1GB.

tooki

[DeathMan]

Originally posted by tooki:
That doesn't mean that the memory controller is capable of addressing 16GB of RAM.

Sure, you can physically fit 2GB of RAM into my blue and white G3, and the G3 chip is theoretically capable of addressing it. But the memory controller can't, so my max is 1GB.

tooki

I would hope that Apple would be forward thinking enough to think that in 3 or 4 years (possible lifespan of these machines) the price and availability would improve.

Lets hope so anyway.

[tooki]

Apparently they did think ahead.

The preliminary Developer's Tech Note (download PDF) on the Power Mac G5 states that 2GB DIMMs are supported. I guess that once such modules are commonplace, one will be able to easily bring it up to 16GB!

tooki

[The Placid Casual]

Looks like I may buy my G5 RAM in the US!

1Ghz sticks for $170! Over here they are weighing in at �800!!

2Ghz sticks are mythical space age technology...

[Apple Pro Underwear]

Originally posted by The Placid Casual:

2Ghz sticks are mythical space age technology...

hehehe

i'll see you in 2004!


(i'm not waiting for a g5, i am waiting for my normal update schedule which should be around late 2004 )

[AssassyN]

Shouldn't the real question be: Who in their right mind NEEDS 16GB on RAM in a single system!? LoL

[reader50]

Originally posted by AssassyN:
Shouldn't the real question be: Who in their right mind NEEDS 16GB on RAM in a single system!? LoL

Any of us who plan to have: UT2006, Doom4, HL3, or Halo3.

[Superchicken]

Come on with OS X it loves RAM!