upgrade

[maggi]

I have an old iMac with 256 on it - can I upgrade the memory so I can put OSX on it?

[nixgeek]

What is it running now? If it's running Mac OS 9 or below, click on the Apple at top left and select the Apple System Profiler. Take that information and post it here so we can get a better idea of which model iMac you have (there have been many iMacs starting with the 233 MHz G3 model up to the 20" iMac G5).

256 MB should be the bare minimum you'd want on OS X to make it a little usable. The more memory you add, the better OS X will run.

[MisterMe]

Don't forget harddrive capacity. I would recommend 10 GB as a barebones minimum.

[maggi]

It looks like I have imac with OS Power PC G3, ROM 7.5.1 i don't se anything that has GB on it - I know my hard drie is nowhere near that - I bought the computer in 2000 - then it was a swift thing of beauty. I haven't kept up with the times. Can I put more harddrive or RAM into it or am I destined to get another computer soon?

[nixgeek]

You can upgrade the hard drive and the memory on it, but it's going to require opening up the iMac and because of the CRT inside, might be a risky. Wait until the end of this week for any announcements on newly released Macs (something that's rumored to happen during MacWorld this week). If new machines are released, try and get one of those. If not, then I would look at something like the Mac mini as a replacement machine, or an iMac G5 if you have the money for it. The nice thing about that Mac mini is that it's affordable and if you decide to get one of the newer Intel based Macs later this year (if they aren't released this week), you can still afford to do so. Not that this will make the current lineup obsolete (it won't for a while), but you'll have a much snappier system once the new Intel Macs come out.

[nixgeek]

To clarify my statement a bit, replacing the memory is not that bad. It's very easy and there's a spot underneath the iMac where you can replace the memory modules. As for the hard drive, that's where the risk comes in from what I've heard. However, there may be someone here who can walk you through it. Of course, don't expect Mac OS X to be super-snappy. I still stand by my recommendation of purchasing something like a Mac mini, but wait until Macworld is over in case Apple releases something new on the hardware side.

[maggi]

Thanks for the info. My home computer gets a lot of routine use because it can't handle a lot of high level gaming. A new mac line - I'll be on the lookout. I'l rather get that than an X-box.

I don't even know what a mac mini is. . . I use macs at home and work where they are upgrading slowly to OSX and forcing me to change along with them. I tend to just deal with what's in front of me.

I'll look into the new stuff (and when is money not an issue!) - and wait on the memory ugrade for now. I have a stripped down, very old imac with OSX on it as well. Don' use it for much but I can learn OSX on that.

[bobw]

Mac Mini