Slow iMac Intel: Is RAM my solution? Take a look...

J

jasfa131

The Lone Deranger
I have the late 2006 white Intel iMac Core 2 Duo with:

2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
(1GB total) two 512MB 667MHz DDR2 RAM
160GB HD with 50GB free

I used very intensive audio production programs that are hard on my computer. I have an external USB audio card (24bit/96KHz) as well.

If I upgrade to 2GB or possibly 3GB of RAM, will it solve my speed issues?
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DDR2 667MHz RAM only, right? And must be matched pairs?
 
If I upgrade to 2GB or possibly 3GB of RAM, will it solve my speed issues?
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That depends on whether lack of RAM is the bottleneck in the first place. It certainly won't hurt, though!

DDR2 667MHz RAM only, right?
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Technically, yes.

Sometimes you can use 800MHz RAM and it will "downclock" itself to 667MHz, but to be safe, you should probably get the exact RAM that your machine is spec'ed to take.

And must be matched pairs?
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No, but if you want the speed boost (which is small, but real) of dual-channel RAM, then yes.
 
Will more memory solve your speed issues? By itself, probably not. You should see a lot of improvement, and you may be pleased with the results - but, upgrading your memory, is just one part of what you can do, including running scripts to keep your system software running smoothly, along with other software optimization that will give varying results.
If you have the 2 GHz iMac in your sig, then you can upgrade to a pair of 2 GB chips, and get the (small) enhancement from having a matched set of RAM installed. Keep in mind that your Mac will not use more than 3GB total, but the matched pair can show an improvement over the 1 and 2GB set that you could also do.
Matched pairs are NOT a must, but there can be a (small, maybe noticeable) performance hit if you have unequal size chips.
 
You haven't specified exactly what your speed issues are, so it's difficult to say. If you notice long delays when switching between applications, opening Dashboard, or triggering Exposé, you need more RAM. On the other hand, if your primary concern is speeding up encoding times, extra RAM might not make a big impact.

1GB is really not a lot these days. I recommend at least 2GB, or higher if you can. I would recommend going from 1GB to 2GB to just about anyone, and since you're doing audio work, which I assume is fairly memory-intensive (depends on the type of audio work, I guess, but I'm not really involved in audio myself), your needs are probably higher.

If you want to do some more analysis, open Activity Monitor (in /Applications/Utilities) and see what it says in the Memory section next to "page outs" and "swap used". The lower they are, the less you can expect extra RAM to help. But the numbers aren't really that easy to interpret. The page outs accumulate between restarts, so there's no simple way to say what's "high" and what's "low".

Also keep an eye on the "free" RAM as you work.
 
Within 10 minutes of using my audio programs, my "free" memory drops to 200MB or so. Now that you mention it, what's slow IS in fact switching apps.

On my audio programs, the audio glitches and lags if I use safari for a bit then come back to the program.

Looks like RAM is in order! Any RAM will do as long as it's DDR2 667MHz spec?
 
http://www.crucial.com/ is well regarded. They let you choose RAM by system, and their prices are pretty good. http://www.macsales.com is another one I hear a lot of positive comments about. Either way, you know the RAM will be good for your system.

You might want to go to a local Apple authorized service provider and buy from them if you wouldn't feel comfortable installing the RAM yourself. I'm not sure how easy it is to open those iMacs.

I'd recommend splurging for the 4GB.
 
Mikuro said:
http://www.crucial.com/ is well regarded. They let you choose RAM by system, and their prices are pretty good. http://www.macsales.com is another one I hear a lot of positive comments about. Either way, you know the RAM will be good for your system.

You might want to go to a local Apple authorized service provider and buy from them if you wouldn't feel comfortable installing the RAM yourself. I'm not sure how easy it is to open those iMacs.

I'd recommend splurging for the 4GB.
Click to expand...

I just upgraded a similar machine (1.83 GHz). The memory is pretty easy to get at; you remove the battery and unscrew three small Phillips screws from the aluminum "L" bracket along the side of the battery opening. I had an issue with getting these screws undone even though I had a set of "jewelers screwdrivers" (so might suggest getting more tools). This exposes the memory chips, and there are some levers above them which help eject the memory card. One lever worked and the other one "slipped off the track". So in the end I needed to use two L shaped needle nose pliers to pull out the memory. In fact I went to the Geek Squad since I did not have these pliers. Putting in the memory was easier, they just slide in but you need to push with some force. No click when you got it correct and the levers are not part of the new installation. Keep track of how the old ones came out so you get the correct orientation, and I recall there was a graphic nearby to help with orientation. I had the Geek put them in but watched carefully.
 
The OP has an iMac, not a macbook. At the bottom of the display there is a memory access door that is held on by 2 phillips screws. After removing the screws there are the two RAM slots. If you need to remove any chips thats what the gray levers are for. Installing the RAM involves first seating the chips by pressing on the chips with your fingers until they are snug and then pushing the levers back in.
 
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