how much ram should I have?

Geminiwave · May 3, 2007, 07:32 PM

So I have 512mb in my Macbook. This is really far to little obviously. Is 1gb sufficient? I don't use movie editing software though I do use photoshop from time to time. I also use Office, Firefox, and standard apps like that.

Is 1gb still too little or do I need 2gb?

BlueMak · May 3, 2007, 10:03 PM

I don't know but my guess is that unless you use Photoshop for some very large photos, you should be fine with 512. Just a guess.

SoCalComatose · May 4, 2007, 10:07 PM

Hi, 1st post here.

I would suggest at least 1gb for using Photoshop and other like apps efficiently. You will also notice quite a performance jump from 512mb to 1gb. If you can afford it, I say go for it!

Geminiwave · May 5, 2007, 08:39 PM

no 512 is definitely not enough. It gets slowed down a lot. so 1gb i think should be fine.

Tipstaff · May 5, 2007, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geminiwave

no 512 is definitely not enough. It gets slowed down a lot. so 1gb i think should be fine.

Honestly, 512mb should be enough for a MacBook, but 1GB is better. Infact if your system comes with OSX 10.4.4 or higher, 1GB is recommended (at least that's what Apple recommended when I asked them). However, one thing I've noticed with MacBooks is that just like XP, it needs to be optimized and cleaned out every now and again, or else it gets slower, and slower. You can have all the ram in the world, but it won't help if the rest of it is slowing things down.

While I don't use MacBooks personally (I do sell them, usually the mid leve MacBook that has 1GB of ram) there are 2 programs I've found that help with this sort of thing. The top 3 to take a look a would be Onyx, MainMenu, and Cocktail. The first 2 are free, the 3rd isn't.

GutterPunk · May 5, 2007, 11:54 PM

1GB for sure, but if you can afford it, it definitely doesn't hurt to get 2GB... better safe than sorry. Althought 1GB on 10.4+ is much nicer.

swimtech · May 7, 2007, 03:32 AM

I'd also have to say 1 gig is fine for 10.4.x. unless for large photo/video editing as mentioned earlier.

I've noticed system boot times are negligibly different whether the system has 512Mb or 2G(mine has 2G, and I've seen many from 512Mb on up), so OS 10 seems happy dealing with 512 Mb or better - but we recommend 1G for application headroom.

If you're going to run Windows (Vista) on the machine someday, the going recommendation for 2Gb applies for that...

fobis · May 9, 2007, 03:27 AM

1GB is sufficient for normal office programs. 512MB should be enough, but OSX 10.4 is a memory hog.

May 3, 2007, 07:32 PM	#1
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 63	how much ram should I have? So I have 512mb in my Macbook. This is really far to little obviously. Is 1gb sufficient? I don't use movie editing software though I do use photoshop from time to time. I also use Office, Firefox, and standard apps like that. Is 1gb still too little or do I need 2gb? __________________

May 3, 2007, 10:03 PM	#2
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,453 Rep Power: 345 System Specs	I don't know but my guess is that unless you use Photoshop for some very large photos, you should be fine with 512. Just a guess. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

May 5, 2007, 08:39 PM	Thread Starter #4
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 63	no 512 is definitely not enough. It gets slowed down a lot. so 1gb i think should be fine. __________________

May 5, 2007, 11:54 PM	#6
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,949 Rep Power: 71	1GB for sure, but if you can afford it, it definitely doesn't hurt to get 2GB... better safe than sorry. Althought 1GB on 10.4+ is much nicer. __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt

May 7, 2007, 03:32 AM	#7
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	I'd also have to say 1 gig is fine for 10.4.x. unless for large photo/video editing as mentioned earlier. I've noticed system boot times are negligibly different whether the system has 512Mb or 2G(mine has 2G, and I've seen many from 512Mb on up), so OS 10 seems happy dealing with 512 Mb or better - but we recommend 1G for application headroom. If you're going to run Windows (Vista) on the machine someday, the going recommendation for 2Gb applies for that... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

May 4, 2007, 10:07 PM	#3
SoCalComatose DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	Hi, 1st post here. I would suggest at least 1gb for using Photoshop and other like apps efficiently. You will also notice quite a performance jump from 512mb to 1gb. If you can afford it, I say go for it!

May 9, 2007, 03:27 AM	#8
fobis DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 716 Rep Power: 51	1GB is sufficient for normal office programs. 512MB should be enough, but OSX 10.4 is a memory hog. __________________ MacBook Pro Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.4 Intel Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz 2GB DDR2-677 ATi Mobility Radeon X1600 256MB 120GB 7200RPM SATA HDD