Confusion about upgrading memory in a Mac

The one major thing that you can do with your computer is to maximize the RAM, but the hardest thing is to figure out whether the memory you purchased is right for the computer that you are putting it in.  Then you have the added issue of making sure the memory is right for the "OS".  Well, this article is going to try address these issues.

Given that the Mac has moved from the PPC chip to the Intel chip, you would think that any PC type memory could be jammed into the Mac and it would work.  Well, it's true!!!  You can plug in PC memory into the Mac and it would work.  Saving you a lot of money rather than going directly to the Apple Store to get your memory or paying the little extra dough to by memory that is branded for the Apple on online stores.

But why would online stores who market memory for the Mac cost more?  I took a long look at the specifications for the PC and Mac Memory, and they are the same.  So make sure you don't fork out the extra $10 to buy the memory that is marketed for the Mac.  It's the same memory!!!

If you decide to upgrade your memory, do make sure that you get the right style, and nowadays this is much harder than it was 10 years ago, because now there are so many different flavours of memory types.

Before purchasing your memory, find out what type you need by going to:

Finder | Go | Utilities (Shift-Command-U) | System Profiler | Memory

The following are things to consider when buying memory:

• Laptop Memory vs. Desktop Memory (iMac and Mac Mini use Laptop Memory)
• SDRAM vs DDR1/2/3
• PC/PC2 xxxx
• Number of Pins
  

Then there are other things to consider like whether the memory is fast enough, whether the memory is "Buffered", and whether to overclock.

How fast the memory behaves is based the read/write memory blocks of the against the number of clock cycles required to complete the task.  This is defined by CAS Latency or CL Timings, most memory performs at a reasonable rate.  The most frustrating was that there were no CL Timings listed for Mac memory, however if you look up the manufacturer's website, you can find those out by matching the PC specifications with the Mac ones.

The other consideration to purchasing memory is "Buffered" memory.  These types of memory are used in servers, and store instructions that are used continuously, and you will rarely find "Buffered" memory in laptops.

As for overclocking, I never choose to overclock, because overclocking will overheat your system, unless you have the necessary hardware to keep you computer cool.

If you are interested in understanding more about memory, here is a great article that describes the different types of memory in detail.

In summary, save your money, don't be sold on the memory that seems to claim that the memory is guaranteed to work on the Mac.  However, ensure that you are purchasing the correct memory by matching the memory specifications described by what is already in your system.