Lightroom 3 System requirements

I have a Mac and OS X.5.8. The processor is an intel dual core. However, I only have 1 gig of ram on my IMAC, and the Adobe website states that you need 2 Gigs of RAM.
Will the Lightroom 3 software run at all, or run slower than optimally?
I ordered from Amazn before checking system requirements at the Adobe website. There was nothing at the vendor indicating the RAM requirement.
I tried calling Adobe, spent 20 min on hold and gave up.

AFAIK, it won't "run", but it will walk.
Also depends on how many, and how big, the images are you want to edit.

I've used LR 2.7 on my Powerbook G4 with 1.25Gb, and it was too slow to be useful.

Download the free trial and see if you think it's "useable".
Then, do yourself a favor and get more RAM.

Thanks, I'll give it a try. If it doesn't run, I'll just send it back to Amuzn after it arrives.

I just used the CS5 trial and it seemed OK. Perhaps I am just used to "slow."

IMO, Photoshop is easier on the processor and Ram then LR (unless you're editing big files in PS).

artyH wrote in post #11487919
I just used the CS5 trial and it seemed OK. Perhaps I am just used to "slow."

I have no way of knowing whether LR will refuse to run, but you will definitely be happier if you have more RAM, not just for LR but for Photoshop as well. 2 Gig is considered a "minimum", but think about 4 Gig as a minimum for "satisfaction"!

it does work with my 2gb, but you need to be patient at times. and don't plan on creating masks with a huge history. i once tried to blur a background on an 18mp file, after 20 minutes i gave up. ymmv, i am not expert on PP or editing in general. imho get at least another gb, if not three.

edit: it's a kinda crappy 2ghz amd turion x2 on windows xp, but until the memory runs out it is ok to use for the average amateur, i'd say.

edit2: isn't there a 30 day trial for lightroom?

When I tried to get the 30 day trial for Lightroom 3, I wound up getting CS5. The system specs in CS5 are a requirement for 1GB RAM. I called Adobe and they said that the Lightroom 3 program would run, but would be very slow. The tech support guy said that if I tried to use the program for sorting photos and there were lots of them, it was going to be especially slow.
I decided to send it back to the vendor. I am seriously considering getting CS5, as it would be less expensive right now than dragging my computer in to a store and getting a memory upgrade. I am really not sure about this, and should probably check the costs.

By "check the costs" what do you mean? The difference between the Lightroom purchase price and the CS5 purchase price would buy a lot of memory.

But, CS5 is chock full of powerful capabilities. If you want a powerful image editor, CS5 sets the "gold standard".