[monkeybutler]

Everyone knows that 256mb is barely enough for a modern system. So the first thing i'll do when i get my ibook tomorrow (pending rain delays) is upgrade the RAM.

Its got 256 built in so i can snag another 256mb 2100 from my pc laptop and save money. OR i can buy a 512MB chip from outpost.com. But im pretty cheap so if the 768 wont give me much more improvement over 512 then its an unecessary upgrade for me and id rather use the $60 on something else.

[ghporter]

You can't go wrong with a 512MB unit. When we got my (wife's) iBook a bit more than a year ago, it came with 128 in the internal slot and 128 in the external slot, so when we got the additional 512MB, we could only increase the RAM to 640MB. No problem, though, because it runs great. I understand that newer iBooks have 256MB in the internal slot, freeing the upgrade slot completely. 768MB would be marginally better than 640MB.

While you can get up to 512 with 256 internal and 256 in the upgrade slot, you may be happier with a bit more RAM than that; I recommend going with the 512.

[iREZ]

Get a 256MB chip if your planning on getting a 1GB chip in a couple months, and are just waiting for the price of those suckers to fall down. Get a 512MB chip if you don't plan on buying anymore RAM for the next year or two.

[sminch]

i'm running 768 in my month old ibook and it runs sweet as 99% of the time, but then i don't do anything particularly intensive so that might not be surprising. i reckon as long as you're not doing crazy ram-hungry work that should be all you need really. as for less than that, i couldn't say as i haven't tried it... 768 is nice though, so if you can afford it it could be worth it.

if you do a search in this forum there are lots of threads about how much ram to get and you can prolly find something that'll clear it up.

sminch

[one sick puppy]

I upgraded my iBook G4 to 768 from 256. I can't say I noticed much improvement. However, the only apps I use are:

MS Word 2004
World Book 2004
Meriam webster dictionary


I just use my iBook for school work.

People said the upgrade would make a big difference in how the OS itself performs, but I've noticed no difference, and I'm not a computer novice.

[jmagic]

i say use the 256 for the time being, if it becomes laggy, and you want it to be a little snappier, then shell out the cash for a 512 or 1gb.

this way, you can function off 512 for sure, and for free, and can upgrade later when prices fall, and they always do

[brickcam]

Like these guys mention, it's mostly about what you do with your computer. Open Activity Monitor and check your RAM usage. I couldn't live with 512; but then again I regularly run 5-10 medium-sized apps.

If you're only dabbling, like the schoolwork guy above, then save your money.

[iREZ]

Saying that RAM prices come down eventually is bogus. Infact it gets to the point where if RAM is no longer being used the price actually hikes up seeing how the manufacturers lose customers. Prices fluctuate but I have never noticed RAM prices dropping on a consistent basis except for when they are newly introduced. That said I bought a 512MB chip for my 333MHz iBook and it cost me $115, but you could find 512MB chips going for about $65 to $85 for your particular model. Trust saving 5 bux after a couple months can't justify you using your computer for those couple of months without a hitch. I said it once I'll say it again....512MB total if your waiting to jump on the next price drop, 768MB if you want to buy once and forget about it. Sure 1gb chips might be cheaper later on, but I could confidently say not for the next year or so.

[sminch]

Sure 1gb chips might be cheaper later on, but I could confidently say not for the next year or so.

by which time your current ibook will be looking a little long in the tooth anyway...

sminch

[nredman]

max it out!

[donniedarko]

What I did was When I first got my iBook I updated to with the 256mb chip and I am waiting till the prices on ram drop so that i can gt a gig stick. But with 512mb my computer runs perfectly fine. I ratherly feel like it's slowing me down.

[far200]

Its got 256 built in so i can snag another 256mb 2100 from my pc laptop and save money. But im pretty cheap so if the 768 wont give me much more improvement over 512 then its an unecessary upgrade for me and id rather use the $60 on something else.

I'd say go with the 256 you already have to make your total 512..... try it out and see if it works for you before you go and buy more ram.....

I'd say you'll find you don't really need any more ram than 512.

[rozwado1]

768 > 512

[D'Espice]

Other than most people in here, I disagree that 768MB will be better than 512MB. It depends on what you're doing with your iBook. I'm fine with 512MB since I mostly do word processing, web browsing and writing/reading mails. Every now and then some Photoshopping but that's barely enough to spend more money on more RAM.

Right now I have iTunes, Safari, Mail.app and Activity Monitor running and my RAM usage is 390MB - as you can see, 768MB of RAM would be a total waste of money.

[selowitch]

I bought a 1GB SO-DIMM for $200 at Newegg.com for my iBook G4 and now I'll never have to think about the RAM issue again.

[jamil5454]

^ I did the same thing. At first I thought I wouldn't ever use 1.25gb in an iBook but my computer uses changed. I ended up using my iBook as my primary machine (over an Athlon64 desktop) and I never have to worry about RAM usage.

[blaze6257]

whats the speed of the G4 ibook memory? (MHz wise)

and if some one could please...what is the speed of G3 ibooks memory?

[ghporter]

G4s use Double Data Rate (DDR) RAM rated as PC2100, while G3s use SDRAM rated at PC100.

[jamil5454]

Originally posted by ghporter:
G4s use Double Data Rate (DDR) RAM rated as PC2100, while G3s use SDRAM rated at PC100.

Which would effectively be 266Mhz and 100Mhz respectively.

[selowitch]

Originally posted by jamil5454:
^ I did the same thing. At first I thought I wouldn't ever use 1.25gb in an iBook but my computer uses changed. I ended up using my iBook as my primary machine.

That's pretty much exactly what happened to me. The iBook was such a pleasure to use that I gradually gave up my desktop Mac (it's now the machine that my wife and son use).

[blaze6257]

alright thanks for the help