Powerbook Memory

[tutusue]

Turns out my clock problem (see other thread) was related to memory; specifically, a lack of! Where do you folks get your modules? Can any of you Oahu HTers install memory? If so, please PM me with your fee.

I need a minimum of 512mb but could go more if the price justifies it. Apple doesn't carry it anymore because <gasp> my PB is a dinosaur...3 or 4 years old!

The type I need is...DDR2 SDRAM
The speed is...PC2-4200S-444

I googled the speed and just checked TigerDirect.com. Oh lordy! It's all Greek to me. I have no idea which one I would need to order!

<sigh>

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Powerbook Memory

go to Other World Computing. It's a great resource for Mac parts. This page lists memory for various Macs.

I don't know what those Geniuses told you but typically RAM has nothing to do with your clock. Now a bad PRAM battery can affect your clock but PRAM is not RAM and getting RAM modules won't cure your problem.

PRAM sets up your mac on boot up and is a place where it can find certain things that run it. It's like flash memory but when the battery dies, it becomes volatile, things like your clock is affected.

If the PRAM battery dies, on boot up the computer will take a bit longer and usually will tell you that you have a time/date conflict. But this will only happen if power is fully removed from the computer.

I'm almost pretty sure it's your PRAM battery and not your RAM memory. Are you running OS9 or OSX?

Go to your Apple Icon at the top left of your screen and select "About This Mac". I will guarantee you that you have memory installed anywhere from 512mb to 1gb already there. If your mac doesn't see this memory it won't boot up at all.

[tutusue]

Re: Powerbook Memory

The Apple Store installed a utility called Activity Monitor to show me, via a pie chart, how much memory I have left when opening applications. Incredibly little! The Genius said, because the clock eventually showed the correct time on it's own, the problem was probably too many apps opened at the same time for the small amount of memory that my PB has. He said the clock probably returned to normal after I closed an app or 2...which I did...and that, internally, the clock was keeping appropriate time.

I haven't received any message about a date/time conflict while using just the battery.

I'm running BOTH OS 9 and 10! Sometimes at the same time!

"About this Mac" is how I found out that I have 512mb of memory installed. It's also how I found out the type and speed of the module I need!

I'll check OWC...thx!

[tutusue]

Re: Powerbook Memory

go to Other World Computing. It's a great resource for Mac parts. This page lists memory for various Macs.[...]

This page was so helpful. Thx, Craig. I just ordered a 1gb module for $30.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Powerbook Memory

Wow I just realized you have the same computer that I got! A powerbook G4 running OSX 10.4.11 Mine is running a 867 MHz PowerPC G4 processor and 1-gig of RAM. The PRAM battery is dying so I just keep the removable battery charged up.

I picked mine up at the Salvation Army. The only problem is the right speaker is dead and there is a thin white line about 2" from the bottom stretching from left to right.

If you need help installing the RAM let me know it's fairly easy...I think.

That's too bad 512mb of RAM couldn't handle both OS at the same time, but then again why are you running two OS at the same time?

[helen]

Re: Powerbook Memory

I don't know what those Geniuses told you but typically RAM has nothing to do with your clock.

I had the same thought to but when you read this post below.

The computer is still working...I'm using it now.
Time zone is set to HST.
It's still the current date but I expect it won't change because the clock isn't moving forward.
Yes, I use Eudora. I just sent myself an email and the time stamp was accurate.

It would seem that the clock itself is working okay but the application that display the clock's time wasn't updating properly. Perhaps it was the lack of memory that made the application not work right.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Powerbook Memory

You are correct Helen, after Tutusue indicated she is running OS9 and OSX AT THE SAME TIME....(sorry for yelling)...that can deplete system memory quite rapidly.

But honestly I don't think there is any BIOS (Mac or PC) that can run two operating systems simultaneously without crashing. It's either one or the other. When using a dual boot system you only have options to select one OS to boot up.

The sad thing is that even if it's only one OS running. For OSX 10.4.11 to start dropping because of lack of system memory of 512Mb, that tells me there are too many applications running or OSX 10.4.11 is a memory hog and not very efficient.

But a good friend of mine who programs Macs gave me this analogy of a Mac operating system: It's like a swan drifting on a placid pond, beautiful to see on the surface...paddling like mad when viewed underwater. Macs look elegant on it's GUI, simple, intuitive, straightforward...however when you look at the processes that make that possible, there's a lot going on under the hood that makes Macs so great to use. Very complicated programming going on there and for which probably uses a chunk of system memory.

I think now I know why Apple switched to Intel and now possibly AMD for it's multi-core processing capabilities, something even dual-core IBM powerPC G4 processors couldn't handle.

As I work on both Macs and PC's I'm starting to see very little difference in the complexities of either. PC's tend to make the user aware of processes, whereas Macs like to keep it under the hood. Either way when they fail, (and I've seen major fails in both camps), you take a PC to a friend and offer them Hot Pockets for working thru the wee hours of the morning to get your computer fixed, or...you take your Mac to a Genius Bar in the morning with a cup of Starbucks coffee and a Biscotti in hand and get your computer fixed hopefully within a day or two.

[tutusue]

Re: Powerbook Memory

The 512mb of ram has been handling both OS's at the same time just fine all along. The speed of the computer has been fine all along...until recently. That said, 9 & 10 are not always open at the same time. I still use one application in OS 9 that's important to my business. That's the only time it's open.

Now that I have the Activity Monitor I notice, when I open Firefox, that the available memory drops dramatically to almost negligible. Would emptying the cache help?

Helen, you're right about the clock's software. The lack of memory prevented the clock from refreshing 'til I closed some apps.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Powerbook Memory

Yes it would.

I'd be a bit concerned if Firefox is using that much memory. If it is something's porting something either into or out of your computer thru Firefox.

[tutusue]

Re: Powerbook Memory

[...]I'd be a bit concerned if Firefox is using that much memory. If it is something's porting something either into or out of your computer thru Firefox.

I have no idea what that means!

[helen]

Re: Powerbook Memory

Now that I have the Activity Monitor I notice, when I open Firefox, that the available memory drops dramatically to almost negligible. Would emptying the cache help?

No, because this cache that internet browsers uses to hold the web pages that you see on your computer are on your hard drive, not your RAM. So emptying this cache would only free up disk space.

[tutusue]

Re: Powerbook Memory

FWIW...the Activity Monitor shows approx. 14mb of free memory with Firefox open and 135mb of free memory with Firebox closed. Don't know if that's typical or not.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Powerbook Memory

No, because this cache that internet browsers uses to hold the web pages that you see on your computer are on your hard drive, not your RAM. So emptying this cache would only free up disk space.

You sure you're not talking virtual ram which is on your hard drive? All hard drive have cache ram but that's only to facilitate read/write speeds.

When Firefox is running an application it can use system memory. If it's using that much system memory, there is a major application running. By emptying cache memory, it frees system memory to do more.

The issue here is that an application is hogging system memory to the point where system processes are affected. That's a lot of memory usage if your activity monitor is running close to zero available memory. Something major is running when you use Firefox. Try using Safari and see what your activity monitor is saying.

[tutusue]

Re: Powerbook Memory

I emptied FireFox's cache. It freed up a little memory but nuthin' to write home about.

With all apps closed except dashboard, activity monitor and finder (ha! try closing finder!), AM shows 140mb of free memory.
Open Safari...down to 120mb
close Safari, open FF...down to 70mb

When I open Eudora...down to 20mb! Dang, I need to delete a whole bunch of email! Not to mention a bigger bunch of attachments!

BTW, in AM, the available free space number changes constantly. This very untechie tutu thinks the additional ram module will help. Hopefully!

[helen]

Re: Powerbook Memory

Emails are not stored in RAM (or the Memory of the Powerbook), they are stored on the hard drive.