In this post, I described my experience using MS Vista and how upgrading the memory made all the difference. For roughly $75, including tax and expedited shipping from kingston.com, I was able to order a 2GB stick of RAM and totally change my user experience. For about $30, I could have ordered 1GB instead. That is a small amount of money and the returns in productivity and usability were amazing. Adding RAM has always been the easiest way to improve a PC's performance. And if you buy it aftermarket, it is often a very inexpensive upgrade.
Having reminded myself of this fact, I took a look at my iMac. It is a first generation Intel iMac and I ordered it with 1GB of RAM. To max the system out at 2GB would have cost $400 extra when I ordered it. Even aftermarket memory was over $100 at the time and I was led to believe that you had to crack the case open to upgrade the RAM, that it was difficult to do and you ran a high risk of voiding the warranty if you made a mistake. The only option seemed to be the expensive Apple Store. Fortunately, in the nearly two years I have had the system, I never missed the additional memory. The OS X system performed briskly with 1GB and I never missed the extra memory. This holiday season, however, my son, the "Silent Opinionator, received the Madden 2008 game for the Mac.The minimum requirements for the game call for 1GB of RAM. The game played fine but occasionally I could see where a performance boost might help. So after upgrading the X61, I looked up what it would cost to upgrade the iMac. Adding 1GB would cost a mere $34 delivered from Crucial.com. I also looked into the installation process and it turns out there is nothing to it. Remove two screws and a panel, snap the memory in and replace. In less than five minutes I was done. And I am the least mechanical person you have ever met. My dad used to say that, "You could screw up a cannonball with a rubber mallet." Just think how easy it would be for you to do it yourself. The result is that system is FAST and Madden 2008 runs like it does on a game console. It is like having a new system and I had change from two $20 bills.
In summary, I spent a little over $100 and upgraded two computers and improved my user experience dramatically. I highly recommend adding RAM to all my readers!
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