1 Gig Stick versus 2 x 512mb RAM upgrade?

L

lbj

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I just upgraded my iMac G4 to the recently outdated iMac G5.
As you know, it comes standard with 256 RAM and one empty slot.

Which would offer better performance, throwing in a 1 Gig stick for 1.25 total RAM or replacing the stock RAM with a matched pair of 512?

I think I recall reading somewhere that the G5 prefers reading off of matched RAM. Is it really that important (unmatched would give a higher total RAM configuration)?

Thanks in advance.
 
The difference between 1GB and 1.25GB is negligible for the average user. 1GB of RAM should serve you well, and matching the sticks does provide a slight performance increase (although I doubt you'd be able to tell, unless you timed some intense PhotoShop filters or something).

Matching the sticks isn't going to make any noticeable difference unless you push your machine to the max (and I don't mean running iTunes, Safari, iChat and iPhoto at the same time), and even then, it'll only make a difference in numbers, not usability.
 
Thanks, that's exactly the answer I was looking for: straight forward and realistic.

Time to go shopping . . .
 
Keep in mind though, that a 1GB stick is going to be more expandable if and when you want to upgrade sometime in the future.
 
The flip side for 2x 512 sticks is that if one goes bad you can pull it out and have a usable machine untill the next arrives. But if all goes well the chance of needing that is hopefully slim
 
If you decide to go with 2 x 512MB chips, you will end up not using the currently installed 256MB module.

If you go with the 1GB chip, then you will use the currently installed module.

Either way, you will have a functioning, usable machine should a single RAM module go bad. I don't see why 2x512 or 1x1GB + 1x256MB would make a difference should one module go bad -- in one scenario, you're running on 512MB, and in the other, you're running either 1GB or 256MB. In either scenario, your machine will function just fine until a replacement module arrives.
 
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