Page contents

Cost
Before you buy
Apple System Profiler

Cost

Upgrading the available RAM on your machine (i.e. buying RAM chips to be installed in the machine) is the best method to increase available memory for anyone with a newer machine. While the cost of RAM for older machines can still be expensive, anyone with a G3 or G4 now has RAM available at very little cost compared to the past. The following prices were noted on the Web at the end of August 2001:

Unfortunately, prices for older models continues to be more expensive:

For these machines, RAM Doubler (US$29) may be a better alternative.

Check for the best current prices at the Mac Resource Page (MRP) RAMWatch page. The owners of this page are providing us with the excellent service of keeping up with the RAM chip market. (Prices are listed by type of chip; make sure you know what type of memory you need before you check there--see below.)

Unless you are comfortable digging around inside your machine, make sure to enquire about the installation charge. Some retailers will offer you fair RAM prices, but then make up for it on the installation charge. If you are interested in doing it yourself, some RAM dealers include information sheets and a grounding strap so you can do it yourself safely without frying yourself or your chip(s).

Before you buy

Before you buy, make sure that you know:

• your machine model
• how much RAM is currently installed
• what type of chip your machine requires
• whether or not your need to install chips in pairs (certain older machines)

Get the information for your model's capabilities and installation requirements (if any) in a well-laid out format from the AppleSpec database. Find your machine on the list, then click to access it. There is a Memory section that will detail your machine's requirements and capabilities for upgrade:

It details the number of RAM slots your machine has, the type of chip they take, the maximum and minumum RAM chip size, the minimum RAM speed (faster is no problem), and the size of chips that were available when the data sheet was compiled, and how many chips must be installed at one time.

Note that the RAM sizes list does not reflect the currently available RAM chip sizes; for example, G3's will take a 256 MB chip no problem.

The best source of RAM information used to be the GUide to Ram Updates (GURU) utility from NewerRAM (formerly NewerTechnology, now a division of Peripheral Enhancements Corporation). Unfortunately, it is no longer available as a downloadable application. You can, however, access it via the "GURU Lounge" here if you are a GURU fan.

Apple System Profiler

You can determine the number and size of the RAM chips installed in your machine with the Apple System Profiler. It is part of the OS standard installation from version 8.1 and up; it runs on any PowerMac-based machine (Performas, Powerbooks, Powermacs) using System 7.6 or later.

The requirements listed at Apple's web site for the System Profiler are as follows:

• Minimum Hardware Requirements:
  • iMac or PowerPC-based Power Macintosh, PowerBook or Performa computer
  • 4.5 MB free RAM, in addition to Mac OS requirements
• Minimum Software Requirements
  • Mac OS 7.6 or later
  • 1.5 MB free disk space
  • Open Transport installed

If it was not installed on your machine for some reason, and you do not have an OS 8 or 9 installation disk, you can download it as a stand-alone application here.

Here is the Apple System Profiler Memory section for a G3 desktop:

As you can see, it details not only the Built-in memory and the number of slots, it also details the size and type of the chips in those slots.

Handy tip (OS 8 and up): grab hold of a heading in the System Profiler window (e.g. the Memory overview heading in the gif above), and drag-n-drop it out to your desktop. You will end up with a text clipping containing the information in that heading for handy future reference:

Once you know your machine's capabilites and what is currently installed, you are ready to decide how to upgrade.