Ram Upgrade

[KadenRyanYT]

I’m upgrading my iMac’s ram from 4gb to 12gb and I was wondering if this would make a difference? I know in TS4 recommended specs it recommends 8gb of ram on iMac’s. My game runs fine on ultra graphics most of the time but if I have background apps open it makes it lag. My iMacs specs are listed below : 

[roberta591]

@KadenRyanYT  Regardless of pc or mac, basically the operating system works the same. As ram usage increases to some point data will be swapped out the virtual memory on your main storage device. It is this swapping of data that slows execution down. Therefore it figures that the more memory there is less swapping and faster execution. This memory management is very complex so much so I think no one fully understands it anymore. It seems the minimum memory for a 64 bit machine today is 8Gb. As explained above your computer will appear to run faster because it is swapping data less frequent, it is not running faster. This is a very simple explanation as the process is very complex.Due to the nature of compilers there will come a point where there is more then enough memory to execute a program. When a program is compiled today 64 bit code is relocatable and the ability of the compiler to calculate jump instructions limits the amount of memory the program can operate in. The physical hardware also needs to be checked to see if the machine will support extra ram. does the machine have enough address data paths to address more memory. The speed the the memory sticks will make a difference. The speed of the address and data bus will make a difference. Putting fast memory in a machine with a slow bus will not make it work faster. This information should be in the specs for the machine. Using slower memory then the bus will actually slow the computer down. Using mismatched memory can also slow the machine down. I said this is complex. Does the mother board have open memory slots? You may need to remove smaller memory modules and replace them with larger modules. You need to understand what you have and how you need to get to where you want. A little planning goes a long way.  hth

[KadenRyanYT]

@roberta591 My iMac can handle up to 16gb of ram so I don’t really think having 12gb of ram is going to slow it down.

[roberta591]

@KadenRyanYT If you miss match the modules I have seen that cause issues. I tried to explain the way memory works. If you don't understand how memory works I recommend you research adding memory to your particular machine or talk to someone who has knowledge about how to upgrade memory in your particular machine. Doing a memory upgrade is more complex then one sentence.

[Bluebellflora]

@KadenRyanYT

You should install it in equal pairs so for 12GB RAM make sure you are installing 2x4GB and 2x 2GB. That is why @roberta591 is referring to slowing down with mismatched chips.

You're running the Legacy Edition of the game so you will not get any further improvements to the game. 12GB will be fine. Your GPU is the biggest factor in game performance, increased RAM will help with having other apps open.