Windows PCs (and, indirectly, their owners) tend to be somewhat tolerant of imperfect RAM. Let me repeat that: whatever you do, do not cut corners on RAM. I’ve upgraded the RAM in numerous computers over the years, and learned a hard lesson in the process: do not under any circumstances attempt to cheap out when you’re putting new RAM into a Mac. Image courtesy iFixit How Can You Be Smart About Swapping RAM? While the iMac uses high-quality but consumer-grade RAM, the Mac Pro typically uses some of the most expensive RAM available, and the base model currently ships with 12GB of RAM installed. Many iMacs and all Mac Pros have four slots. Most Macs have two RAM slots, each arriving filled, such that a 4GB Mac will have two 2GB RAM boards inside, and an 8GB Mac will have two 4GB RAM boards inside. If your Mac can run Yosemite, it can probably be upgraded to at least 8GB of RAM, if not more.Īpple typically makes Mac RAM swaps as simple as using a small screwdriver to open a panel, where you push down on clips to release the RAM boards, then pop the new RAM into place. By contrast, 4GB Macs are very limited in running multiple apps at once, while 16GB machines aren’t much different from 8GB or 12GB Macs except when running professional-quality (generally video editing) apps. I personally have 8GB in my Retina MacBook Pro and 12GB in my iMac neither has obvious RAM-related issues. Several years ago, there were more 4GB Macs out there, but today, if you don’t have at least 8GB of RAM and are running OS X Yosemite, you probably would benefit from more RAM. Most current Macs ship with 4 or 8 gigabytes (GB) of RAM. More RAM lets your computer run bigger apps and more apps at the same time, reducing or eliminating the need to continuously load data from your hard disk or SSD. Without getting too technical, RAM (random access memory) typically refers to a small replaceable circuit board full of memory chips, designed to give your computer a high-speed temporary work space - the place where apps and data are stored while you’re actively using them.
Below, I’ll walk you through your best options.
Installing RAM generally doesn’t void your Mac’s warranty, and except for several models, the only tool you’ll need is a small screwdriver. You can expect to pay $90 or less for enough (Mac-safe) RAM to run OS X Yosemite without hiccups, or $180 for enough RAM to guarantee you won’t need more for years. But there’s another option that can speed things up with relatively little effort or expertise: upgrading your Mac’s RAM. The process is super-easy on MacBooks and Mac Pros, surprisingly manageable on iMacs, and challenging on Mac minis, yielding 3X to 5X speed boosts. As I’ve spotlighted over the past month, the best way to dramatically speed up an older Mac is to replace its old hard drive with a new solid state drive (SSD).
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