View Full Version : Buying RAM for MacBook
Ritalin
08-10-2007, 05:49 AM
I want to max out the RAM on my new-ish MacBook Pro, and I have 2 questions:
1) Does anyone have a recommendation for a good site to buy RAM from? and..
2) The last time I did this I remember that the every slot for RAM had to match. That is, there were 2 slots, and you couldn't put a 1 GB in one slot and 2GB in the other. Is that still true? Because there are two slots on this machine, and I have 2GB of RAM currently. I think it will take up to 4GB, so does that mean that I have to buy 2 2GB of RAM?
Does that make any sense?
Thanks in advance.
Ritalin
08-10-2007, 06:06 AM
Answering my own question: No, the RAM in the two slots does NOT have to match. In fact, I just found out that the Apple Store dweeb is a stinking liar: this computer only supports 3GB of RAM.
Meks me med.
But, I'm still looking for the best deal on RAM on the internet. Any suggestions? I've looked around a little bit, and the prices are MUCH lower than Apple charges on their site, but there are different manufacturers. Is one brand any better or worse than the other? Is it worth it for me to just buy it from Apple, or is it highway robbery. Apple wants $500 for their 2GB chip, and I haven't seen another one anywhere that costs more than $150.
Mangoat
08-10-2007, 08:51 AM
As a guy that does all the buying for a datacenter, I can't say enough good things about Crucial.com. Never had a problem with them, and usually the stuff is at your doorstep before you get the shipping notification.
Just go to crucial.com and get it there..
Doctor Z
08-10-2007, 08:56 AM
I know it looks a bit ghetto, but I've had success with Memory4Less.com (http://www.memory4less.com). You'd be hard-pressed to find cheaper RAM online.
zentraed
08-10-2007, 09:12 AM
I buy almost all my hardware at newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com). They have a large selection, so choosing can be tricky, but don't buy from Apple.
What kind of work do you do that makes you want to upgrade from 2 GB?
zentraed
08-10-2007, 09:17 AM
2) The last time I did this I remember that the every slot for RAM had to match. That is, there were 2 slots, and you couldn't put a 1 GB in one slot and 2GB in the other. Is that still true? Because there are two slots on this machine, and I have 2GB of RAM currently. I think it will take up to 4GB, so does that mean that I have to buy 2 2GB of RAM?
When your processor supports "Dual Channel", you have to insert the RAM in matched pairs to take advantage of it. It allows twice the memory throughput. I don't know how new your MacBook is, but if it has an Intel dual core chip, then it should support it.
However, I've never heard of a 1.5 GB SODIMM module, so you couldn't have both 3GB of RAM and a dual channel config.
vBulletin® v3.7.0, Copyright ©2000-2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.