06-13-2007, 07:44 PM

I want to upgrade my Macbook Pro RAM from 1G to 3G. Is there a disadvantage to buying non-Apple memory upgrades? It seems some places offer much cheaper mem than Apple. Is this legit or is this inferior memory?

Can anyone recommend a good place to purchase?



Thanks,

Mitch

06-13-2007, 08:17 PM

Memory is memory, apple just sells other companies stuff anyway so they dont really have their own memory product. A good place to buy is from www.newegg.com great prices.

06-13-2007, 08:19 PM

He'res a link that has 4GB. For like 222.99 it was posted just a little while back, Browse around that site. http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other.../53IM2DDR4GBK/

06-13-2007, 08:21 PM

On question about ram, I'm getting the MBP soon with 2GB... When I upgrade later, if I wanted to make mine 3GB then could I just buy a 2GB stick and pair it with the 1GB? or do you have to buy the 3Gb ram as a set? Like will they work together nicely? haha.. I would get 4Gb anyways but just a question.

06-13-2007, 09:56 PM

Thanks for the replies but I'm confused I thought the MAcBook Pro could only support 3 Gig. What's this talk about 4 GIG?

06-13-2007, 10:48 PM

it depends... if you have one of the new Macbooks with the Santa Rosa chip it can support 4 gigs but if not then it can only support 3 gigs

06-15-2007, 05:08 PM

I think the 1st gen MBP (coreI) max out at 2GB, the CoreII can handle 3GB, I havnt heard anything about 4GB capacities.

06-19-2007, 12:41 AM

It's true the new Pro supports 4 gig as I just got mine yesterday but the upgrade through Mac is $750. Ouch, you can get aftermarket for around $220.

03-31-2008, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by Red Snapper

Memory is memory, apple just sells other companies stuff anyway so they dont really have their own memory product. A good place to buy is from www.newegg.com great prices.

All memory is by no means created equal. There can be very significant performance differences both in how memory is spec'd and different brands with the same specs. Even different product lines within the same brand will vary greatly.

If you are concerned about performance, it is generally a good idea not to go with any of the value series of RAM.

This is not the thread to get into a discussion about aftermarket RAM, but now that you know there are differences, there are tons of threads out there about it.

All of that being said, Apple RAM is way overpriced. Unless your time is more important than money, never buy Apple RAM. Take the time to do some research and find high quality RAM that is known to pair nicely with the MBP. (It's been a while since I've done the research, so I don't want to post potentially outdated info.)

I will give a couple general tips though: Even though it is usually not required, better performance is often seen in the real world when the memory is matched (same brand, product line, etc.) A good place to start is to take the memory cover off your MBP and look at what is already in there. If you buy the "same" (different size though) RAM that is in there it may not be the highest performing option available but your reasonably assured it will perform well.

03-31-2008, 07:21 PM

The apple ram I pulled out of my macbook pro when I upgraded to 4gb was just Samsung brand ram. WAY over priced indeed. 4GB's of crucial works in there just fine, so would the ram from OWC. Once you're out of 'value ram' you should be good IME.

05-14-2008, 12:24 AM

Originally Posted by TheInvsbleMan

it depends... if you have one of the new Macbooks with the Santa Rosa chip it can support 4 gigs but if not then it can only support 3 gigs

How can i tell if my MBP has the Santa Rosa Chip. I want to upgrade from 2gb to 4gb. But, if 3gb is my limit then so be it. Dont want to risk having any problems.

05-14-2008, 12:52 AM

An easy way to tell if you have a Santa Rosa chip is to look at your processor speed. Santa Rosa chips tend to follow a pattern of 2.2GHz, 2.4GHz, etc. Your MBP has a 2.33GHz chip, which followed in the 1.83GHz, 2.16GHz, and 2.33GHz pattern of the previous generation, which had a max of only 3GB.